


Genom Eld

by bad_seed



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Battle of Hogwarts, Boys In Love, Declarations Of Love, Dorks in Love, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Fred Weasley Lives, George Needs a Hug, Heavy Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Smut, Minor Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sad George Weasley, Self-Acceptance, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Separation Anxiety, Smut, Twincest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2018-12-24 10:48:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12011133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bad_seed/pseuds/bad_seed
Summary: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:A disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.Symptoms may include nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance of situations that bring back the trauma, heightened reactivity to stimuli, anxiety, or depressed mood.People May Experience:Behavioral: agitation, irritability, hostility, hypervigilance, self-destruction behavior, or social isolation.Psychological: flashback, fear, severe anxiety, or mistrust.Mood: loss of interest or pleasure in activities, guilt, or loneliness.Sleep: insomnia or nightmares.Also common: emotional detachment or unwanted thoughts





	1. Chapter 1

The long table was filled with the witches and wizards of the Order, or at least, those who were not too frightened by the risk to come back. There used to be so many, but with the increased chance of being found out by death eaters, their numbers had dropped. Most of the seats were filled by shocks of fiery red hair.  
     Mr.Weasley, Mrs.Weasley, Bill, and with lots of persuasion, Ron and Ginny sat among the Weasley clan. Molly took a look at each of their faces, her worry lines deepening with each ginger she saw. Her eyes fell onto two of them who stood out for their incredibly identical features. With the signature Weasley hair, plus light brown eyes, and an indescribable amount of freckles all over their faces, lips, and any exposed skin, she couldn't help but smile. Fred, who was older by four minutes and a half inch taller than his brother, sat on George's right side as George sat closest to the door. They were sat so close, one might think they were seeing double if they quickly glanced over. But no, George slightly leaned into Fred, just as he'd always done.  
     Fred placed his left hand on George's thigh under the table. His twin looked his way, smiling as their eyes met. Fred rubbed circles with his thumb over the cloth covered leg and turned his attention back to the group.  
     "Tomorrow is the day. I need you all here by six o'clock on the dot as we will be departing for Privet Drive soon after. I will be assigning Potters and Watchers now. Remember which one you are so this can happen as smooth as possible. Got it?" Moody leaned slightly forward, his magical eye taking in everyone's expressions. "Good. Shacklebot, you're a watcher. Ms.Granger, you're a Potter. Bill, you're a watcher. Ms.Delacour, you're a Potter. Hagrid will be Harry's watcher. Ron, you're a Potter. Tonks, you're a watcher. Fred, you're a Potter. Arthur, you're a watcher. George, you're a Potter. Lupin, you're a watcher. Mundungus, you're a Potter. And I will be a watcher. Understand?"  
     "Wait, wait...I'm so sorry to interrupt, but does that mean George and I aren't going together..?" Fred had a certain protective look on his face. George bit his lip, clearly uncomfortable with having to be separated from his twin.  
     "I'm afraid so, boys. But don't worry, if all goes well, we'll all meet up at the Burrow. Now for the pairs, yeah? Hagrid and Harry. Ms.Granger and Shacklebot. Ron and Tonks. Fred and Arthur. George and Lupin. Fleur and Bill. And I got Mundungus. Everyone remember these. It's very important we don't have any mistakes. You will fly off with your partner and make it to your safe house. There, you will then apparate to the Burrow. Should be simple. Molly, you will be ready to take care of any injuries that may come." Moody explained, both eyes on Mrs.Weasley. She nodded and placed her hands on Arthur's shoulders.  
     "Alright. That'll be all for tonight. Remember. Here, tomorrow at six, we then apparate to number 4 Privet Drive." With that, the group dispersed. George was first out of the twins to rise. He stretched his long arms above his head, sighing at the many pops in his spine. Fred stood after him and chuckled.  
     "You're getting old." He smirked and ruffled his brother's hair before leading them up to the second floor to their usual room.  
     It was obvious which room belonged to the twins as the door was singed at the bottom, scars littering the wood from the many times someone, totally not George who is just the definition of grace obviously, had tripped and slammed their head into it or had just run at the door, not realizing it was closed. George opened the door, letting Fred walk in first.  
     Fred sat on the edge of his bed and looked up at George who stood with his back pressed against the wood of the door.  
     "You okay, Georgie?" He cocked an eyebrow and frowned lightly. George regarded Fred and shook his head. He nibbled his lower lip and rubbed the heel of his palm against his forearm, something he'd done when he was troubled ever since they were little. Fred sighed and held out his hand to George, who gladly took a hold of it and sat next to the identical redhead.  
     "What's wrong, kid?" Fred wrapped his arm around George's shoulders and pulled him into his neck.  
     "What...what if something goes wrong, Freddie?" George looked up at his twin, trying to memorize every single freckle in case something happened.  
     "Oh, George...we gotta show off our skills separately some time. But I understand...I don't like knowing that something could happen and I won't be there to protect you."  Fred stared into those gorgeous brown eyes George possessed and found himself counting every gold fleck each held. He loved his eyes. He never wanted to look away. They sent a rush up his spine that he always assumed was just because he grew up with them so they were comforting to him, but Fred never got that tingle looking into any of his other family members' eyes.  
     "I'll be okay. You just need to be okay too. Do you promise you'll be okay?" George stared at Fred with so much hope for good in his eyes.  
"I promise."  
"You sure?"  
"Yes, George, I'm sure."  
"Positive."  
"Yes."  
"Pinky promise?"  
"Hey, George?"  
"Yes?"  
     Fred smacked George on the back of the head. Obviously not hard enough to hurt him. "Shut up, will ya?" He laughed and rubbed where he had just hit his twin.  
     "You git." George did his best not to smile, but when it came to Fred, he couldn't help it and showed off his pearly whites, cute dimples sank in that seemed to make his cheekbones even more pronounced than they already were.  
     "I don't think people would believe us if we ever acted this way in front of them. They're all used to us being loud and joking around-" Fred started.  
     "To think that we have hearts under all of it would just be too much." George finished for him and comically placed a hand over his heart.  
Fred laughed, wrapping his arms around his brother's waist.  
     "We're gonna be okay. I pinky promise." Fred spoke softly, his chin on the top of George's head. George leaned into Fred, tucking his face into the crook of his neck.  
     "You better not break that promise..." George gulped and poked Fred's cheek.  
     "Cross my heart I won't break that promise. You and I will be just fine and meet up back home alive." Fred breathed deeply, placing a kiss on George's forehead before pulling back. He pinched the younger's cheeks and smiled reassuringly. "Alright. Now try to get some sleep, kid. I don't want you freaking out all night."  
     "Well I mean how will I be certain you're really there? Maybe I'll just end up freaking out all night because you'll be so far away and I won't be able to look over and see you because it's dark and if I come say hi I could trip and fall and and and-"  
     "Is this you're way of asking for cuddles?" Fred snickered and tugged on his hair in an attempt to refrain from bursting out laughing. "If you don't get cuddled, you're gonna trip over a fly to your death trying to come say hi?" He couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears slipped down his cheeks as the laughter he was holding in was finally let out.  
     "Listen, mister! It could very well happen." George crossed his arms across his chest and put on his best fake angry face which mainly consisted of a crinkled nose and red cheeks.  
     "Well what am I supposed to do about it?"  
     "Hold my hand like your walking a toddler. Let me be your koala. I was born for this. I have all of the koalafications." George felt the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.  
     "See I was really considering it until that koala pun. Now I'm going to need to ask you to sleep on the couch." Fred shook his head.  
     "You wouldn't dare make me sleep on the couch." George's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. Fred smirked and placed two fingers on George's chin, closing his mouth.  
     "Maybe I would. What are you gonna do about it?"  
     "Either you give me cuddles or I'm filing for a divorce and child support is due tomorrow."  
     "Child support? We don't have kids, Georgie." Fred raised his eyebrow.  
     "No, but we have pygmy puffs and I call dibs, so.." George shrugged and tilted his head to the side.  
     "Fine, fine. You win. Are you the little spoon?" He chucked.  
"Always, you don't deserve that roll."  
     The pair stripped down to their socks and underwear, not caring about their lack of clothing. Fred lied down first and reached up. He grabbed George's wrists and pulled him down on top of him. He wrapped his arms around his waist and gave him a squeeze.  
With a lot of kicking his legs, George managed to get the sheet over both of their lower halves.  
     With a final forehead kiss, they drifted into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The chirping of birds and rustle of wind against leaves woke Fred early the next morning. He groaned softly and squinted at the bright orangey-yellow sunlight that snuck in between their red curtains. The light gave the room a soft, serene glow, bringing out the beauty of the colors. He followed the light trails, a certain one falling on to the body that lay on his chest.  
The corners of Fred's lips turned into a soft smile as he delicately played connect the dots with the hundreds of freckles that graced the sun-warmed skin of George's bare back. The pale skin shone golden at the kiss of the early morning light. It was at the moment he found many constellations in the patterns that the rush of endearment returned. The ghost of a blush dusted Fred's cheeks. He attempted to push the feeling aside and think about it later, but it was hard to ignore the light buzz in the back of his mind.  
When he looked down, he noticed he had pulled his hand back and George's usually innocent asleep features were contorted into a look of annoyance. Fred chuckled and went back to tracing, this time with a certain tenderness that wasn't there before. He carded the fingers of his free hand into George's hair, lightly rubbing at his scalp to ease him back into peaceful dreams.  
For as long as Fred could remember, whenever they cuddled, he always had an ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was just normal for them. Cuddles were a usual thing. Obviously, they preferred when people didn't know about it, but sometimes someone would see George draped over his twin and they would just laugh as if it were a joke.  
Three gentle knocks and five seconds later, the door was quietly opened a bit. Mrs.Weasley half-stepped in.  
"Fred, dear, what would you and-" She looked over the pair and took in the sight of the younger twin fast asleep on top of his brother while Fred ran his hand soothingly up and down his back. She made a face and placed her hands over her heart as if it were the cutest thing she'd ever seen.  
Fred grinned and made a hand movement that signaled for her to speak softly. He then pointed to George's sleeping form so he knew she understood.  
"Oh you two...I was just wondering what you both would like for breakfast?" She spoke just above a whisper. "I was thinking french toast, maybe some eggs, sausage. Does that sound okay?"  
"That sounds great, mum, thank you." He smiled gratefully. Fred had been trying to get on his mother's good side since Percy left, hoping he could make her see they were more than just jokesters. This involved helping out more around the house when they were home, not testing products on Ron, showing her just how much work went into products, and even letting her watch them make some.  
"Okay. When George wakes up, breakfast should be ready, so you two can just come down whenever. Just make sure you get to it before Ronald does." She shifted her gaze from Fred's face back to the sight as a whole. "You two are just so precious...you're going to hate me, but I need to get a picture of this."  
Fred was about to protest, but Molly had already accio'd a camera into her hands. Fred continued stroking George's back as if there wasn't a camera pointed at them. In his sleep, George moved his arms from Fred's chest to wrap them around his neck. He pulled himself up and nuzzled into Fred's cheek with his nose, his legs wrapping themselves around his waist.  
Molly took the picture and aww'd. They would always be her little boys, no matter how old they got. Sure, they were only 19, but she remembers them being two years old and deciding to run around naked, squealing and giggling the whole time. She had Bill, Charlie, and Arthur attempt to wrangle them up so she could watch baby Ron and Percy. They came in with the two boys in their arms, all shouting "I got Fred!" Nobody in the family could tell one freckled baby bottom from the other, and it hasn't changed since. Not the running naked, but nobody telling them apart.  
She walked in and handed the picture to Fred. "Alright, I'm going to start making breakfast. I'll see you two downstairs in a bit." Mrs.Weasley bent forward and placed a wet kiss on both of their heads before leaving, closing the door behind her.  
Fred looked at the picture, watching the way it moved before him. The way his twin pulled himself up to snuggle in closer, the gentleness of his hand on his back. Anyone who didn't know the twins would have thought them to be a happy couple if they saw the picture. That thought snuck into Fred's head, and he turned a bright shade of crimson before placing the picture on the bedside table. Maybe he'll keep the picture to himself.  
He turned his head slightly so he could face his brother a bit more. Fred began humming softly, watching the flutter of eyelids as they made an attempt to open. Seconds later, a pair of sleepy brown eyes came into view.  
"Morning, kid." Fred pinched his twin's cheek, making it a light pink color.  
"Hmm...morning." he spoke in that sexy morning voice Fred had always been jealous of. "Is this just what you do? Go feeling me up in my sleep?" He smirked.  
"What do you-" Fred looked down. His hand had made its way down to rest on George's arse. "Oh! I'm sorry." He pulled his hand back up and put it on his hips instead. He felt George laugh on top of him and grabbed his wrist. George moved Fred's hand from his hip, back to where it had been before.  
"It's fine." He smiled, honestly preferring to have Fred's hand there. The tips of his ears went pink as Fred gave his bum a playful squeeze.  
"Damn, looks like I have something to be jealous of now." Fred chortled and smacked his hand down once before sitting up. George squeaked and sat up with him.  
"If this is your way of flirting, how do you not already have a girl on your arm?" George smirked lightly.  
"It's more fun flirting with you, hot stuff." Fred winked and stood up. Quite frankly, he didn't want a girlfriend. He didn't want to think about a girl coming in between him and George. No girl would understand just how close they were, that Fred would always pick his twin. He hoped George thought the same. "Alright, put some pants on. Food time."  
"Ooh food.." George stood and pulled on any pair of gym shorts he was positive were actually Fred's. Fred's eyes ran over George's bare torso and abdomen which was quite defined from years of beater on the quidditch team. His own body was quite similar, but he preferred looking at his brother's.  
"Oh we're still stealing clothes, are we?" Fred raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips.  
"Forever and ever and ever. Get used to it." He snatched the shirt Fred was holding and walked out of the room. Fred followed with an eye roll, holding a new shirt. They pulled them on as they walked down the stairs. As they moved into the kitchen, they are able to fully pull their shirts down to cover their stomachs. They sat across from Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.  
"You two ready for today?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.  
"Not at all-" Fred started.  
"But that doesn't matter-" George continued.  
"Here, six o'clock, to Privet Drive." They finished together. Hermione smiled and shook her head.  
"Will you two ever stop doing that? It gets confusing." She grinned brightly at them.  
"We'll stop when you lot can tell us apart." Fred said. George nodded next to him, signing thank you to his mother as she placed their food in front of them. A mutter of "fair enough" went between the three sitting across from the twins.  
"Eat up, you two. You need your strength for later. You know what that polyjuice potion does to you." Molly insisted.  
After breakfast, the twins made their way back up the stairs and into their room. Shorts and shirts were discarded as they began trying to figure whose suit pants were whose.  
"Okay, okay. Your's have wider stitching than mine. Fuck, this shouldn't be as hard it is." George giggled and look at the pile of clothes in front of them. He dropped to his knees, tossing what belonged to Fred up to him. Fred caught them, trying not to look into his twin's eyes while he was sat on his knees in front of him.  
George rose back to his feet with what he was pretty sure was his. They dressed into their proper clothes, laughing when someone would get stuck. Fred was tightening the knot in his tie when George tapped him on the shoulder.  
"Can I help you, kid?" He turned on his heels to face his carbon copy.  
"I can't do it." He held out his tie to Fred.  
"Yes you can, you taught me how to tie mine!" Fred laughed.  
"I know, but like...I don't wanna do it." He shrugged and handed it to Fred. Fred sighed in an over exaggerated way and tied it for him. "Cool, let's go." After going through the rest of their morning routine, the pair made their way into the living room.  
"How do you two not die of heat stroke? I don't understand." Ginny looked up from where she was sitting. Everyone else had shorts and t-shirts on.  
"No, trust me, we're burning up. But it's the price ya gotta pay." Fred tugged lightly at his tie.  
"Seriously, how many layers do you have on?" Bill asked.  
"Well let's see. There's the undershirt-" said Fred.  
"The dress shirt-" George went on.  
"The vest-"  
"The jacket, which is way too thick-"  
"Usual downstairs cover up stuff-"  
"Don't call it that-"  
"A pair of knee sock, the pants, and the shoes." Fred finished for them with a smile. Ginny was counting them off on her fingers as the rest were looking back and forth, trying to keep up with who was talking.  
"Oh, come on. No way are you two leaving the house in all that in the middle of summer. It's just too much." Molly attempted to rid them of their jackets, which they quickly dodged.  
And with that, they started the count down to when they would have to leave to go get Harry.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay! Is everyone here, are we all ready to go?" Everyone nodded their heads, preparing to apparate to Privet Drive. "Then let's go." Moody was the first to leave with a loud bang. Then went Mundungus. Tonks and Lupin clasped their hands and left after. Arthur came forward, taking a hold of Ron and Hermione's biceps so he could make sure they wouldn't get separated, and apparated away.  
"Hey," George elbowed his twin. "We'll be fine, yeah?" He smiled softly, but that little smile was all the reassurance Fred needed.  
"Yeah...remember, four Privet Drive, don't think of anywhere else." Fred placed his left fist on his hip and motioned for his brother to come over. George did and linked his arm with Fred's.  
"And three-"  
"Two-"  
"One." The sickening rush went to their stomachs as they apparated, tightening their grip on each other. After what felt like forever, their feet finally hit the pavement and they could breathe again.  
It was a pretty little street. Rather dull though. Of course, they couldn't do anything to brighten it up now, they had a job to do.  
"George, I don't want you doing this..." Fred kept his arm locked on George's.  
"What? Why?" George was surprised. Fred would usually be all over the idea of being put in danger.  
"I don't want you doing this and that's final, George." Fred gave him a stern look.  
"No, I'm doing this. I have to. If I get hurt, oh well, this isn't about me. This is about getting Harry safely to the Burrow." George rolled his eyes and began dragging Fred up to the front door. He knocked politely. Harry opened the front door. He had to tip his head back to really look at the twins. He smiled brightly and yanked them inside.  
"It's good to see you two." Harry grinned.  
"It's good to see you too, short stuff." Fred smirked and patted Harry on the top of his head.  
"I change my mind, I hate you both." Harry chuckled and went to stand next to Moody. "Now will someone please tell me what your plan is?"  
Moody began explaining to him what was going to happen. Harry looked around, his face becoming more and more horrified at every person he looked at.  
"N-no. No. Absolutely not. There's no way I'm letting any of you do that." Harry backed up, trying to get away.  
"Sorry, but we don't really fancy it either, mate." Fred shurgged, eyebrows raised slightly.   
"Yeah, imagine if something went wrong and we got stuck as scrawny, speccy gits forever!" said George. This made Fred have to stiffle a laugh behind his hand. He lightly smacked George's arm.  
Moody gathered all of the Potters in a circle, warning them of the foul taste of the polyjuice potion. Fred attempted to make a joke at Mad-Eye, which sadly, didn't get the reaction he was hoping for. Fred sighed and took a swig of the potion before reluctantly passing it to George. He shuddered and looked around as he lost ten inches in height to meet Harry's 5'5" form. George looked down at him from his still 6'3" height before he too lost the ten inches. Soon, everyone looked an exact copy of Harry.  
The twins turned to each other. "Wow! We're identical!" They spoke in unison. Clearly, not much had changed there. Fred looked down at his, now Harry's, body. His suit was now the baggiest thing he'd ever seen and he had to hold up his pants to stop them from slipping. George's tie had come undone and fallen off his neck and on to the floor. Mad-Eye handed everyone a pile of clothes all identical to the ones Harry had on now. Much to Harry's disliking, everyone had stripped of their clothes and changed into Harry's, obviously not caring about exposing his body like that.  
When the lot had finished, Mad-Eye had motioned them all outside where their brooms were waiting. "Mount your brooms. We kick off in 3..."  
Fred stared emotionlessly at George, trying to tell himself everything would be okay.  
"2..."  
George tried to squash the fear that was building up in his chest, clawing it's way up his throat. He locked eyes with Fred.  
"1, go go go!"  
Before Fred could tell George again not to do it, he had pushed off the ground, soaring into the air. Fred stayed close next to his dad as they journeyed to their safe house. It wasn't long before black cloaked figures began flying closer to them.  
"Get your wand out and ready!" Arthur yelled to his son. Fred did as he was told, pulling his wand from his pocket, firing hexes and curses to any death eaters that got too close. He leaned forward, pushing his broom to go as fast as it could. A death eater missed while shooting a hex, only singeing the end of Fred's broom.  
Lupin flew slightly in front of George, leading the way of where they were to go. George shot curses at every death eater he saw, some knocking them off their brooms.  
"Lupin, look out!" George shouted just in time for Remus to duck under an all too familiar flash of green light. The next thing George knew, he had been hit by a curse he'd never heard of. He screamed in agony as his hand came up to where the pain in the left side of his head was. He felt around, pools of blood dripping down his face and filling his hand. His ear had been severed off. He didn't cry, he was in too much shock to cry. Instead, his vision started fading and he slumped forward on his broom. George felt he was going to throw up.  
Remus looked back as soon as he heard the scream and took a hold of George's shoulder. He held the ginger up, trying to keep him awake.  
"Just a bit further, George, come on. It's gonna be okay, I need you to stay awake for me." Remus spoke loudly to keep George alert as they neared their safe house.  
Fred turned Arthur, clearly worried. "Did you hear that?! That scream?! Who was that?!" Arthur wanted to give his son words of comfort, but he really couldn't. He truly couldn't promise that it wasn't George.  
"I don't know, son, but come on. We're almost there, we'll find out soon." A few minutes later, they landed at their safe house. Fred was immediately grabbed by his father as they apparated to the Burrow.  
Lupin and George had gotten there before Fred and Arthur. Seeing one of the twins hurt, Harry ran over, putting George's right arm over his shoulders and wrapping an arm around his waist to help Lupin get him inside. He was a very skinny kid so it wasn't hard for Harry to support most of his weight. They got in the living room and Remus bent down. He kept his right arm behind George's back and tucked his other arm under his legs. He lifted George on to the couch and slid his arms out.  
Molly had come into the room, a horrified gasp leaving her lips. Ginny came in right after to see what had happened. The two girls rushed over and crouched next to where he lay. Ginny held his hand which she felt going cold. Mrs.Weasley smoothed his blood matted hair out of his face and pushed it back. A loud pop from the garden signalled more people had arrived.  
Arthur placed his hand on Fred's back, smiling proudly at him. Fred smiled back and elbowed his father lightly. Harry had come outside again, a look of sadness on his face. Fred's grin dropped instantly.  
"...Where's George?" Fred asked. Harry bit his lip and sighed. Fred's eyes went wide and he ran into the house, fearing the worst. He was met by Lupin first. "Where is he, where's George?"  
"He's in the living room, my boy. But I'm going to need to ask you to remain calm when you see him, please I beg you. He was and still is absolutely terrified. If he sees you're scared, he'll just get more frightened." Remus had his hands on Fred's shoulders. Fred nodded and allowed himself to be lead into the room by the werewolf.  
Fred placed a hand over his mouth and ran to the couch, dropping to his knees immediately. He looked George all over. His twin's skin was sickeningly pale and blood was everywhere. Oh merlin, there was so much blood...  
"Can you hear me..?" Fred took a hold of George's free hand. George squeezed it lightly in response, showing he could hear him. "How are you feeling, Georgie?" Fred questioned timidly.  
"Sanlee..." George mumbled. Fred couldn't understand a word he said. Has his George gotten all messed up?  
"Come again?" It was rare that the two couldn't understand each other. A rarity neither liked.  
"Saint-like...I'm holey, Fred. Geddit?" George smiled weakly at Fred, pointing to where his ear should've been.  
"A whole world of ear related humor and you go with holey...pathetic." Fred chortled and gripped his hand tighter. Molly sat and thought for a moment.  
"Holey..." She looked at the injury properly and understood. "Ginny, get the first aid kit now, I need to clean this immediately." She ordered her daughter. Ginny nodded and left the room, quickly searching in the cabinet in the bathroom.  
"What's happened to him?" Ron whispered to Hermione. Everyone heard him though.  
"We were flying to our safe house when we were swarmed by death eaters. One fired a curse that hit George and severed his left ear off." Remus explained, feeling as though he could have done something to prevent it, that it should have been him instead.  
"Did you see who it was, by any chance?" Fred turned his attention to Lupin.  
"Snape. Used a curse he created." Lupin informed him. Fred tensed up, angry clearly visible in his body. Next time he saw Snape would be the last time anyone saw that greasy haired pig. George squeezed his hand harder, trying to get Fred's attention as he noticed the change in his brother.  
"Freddie, don't act earresponsibly." He giggled breathily at his puns. "It's earrelevant, the damage is earreversible." George snickered, tugging on Fred's arm.  
Fred looked back to George, trying his hardest not to laugh. "Do you mind?" He ran his thumb over his twin's knuckles.  
"No, shut up, my jokes are earresistible." Ginny had hurried back in with the first aid kit and handed it to her mother.  
"This is going to sting, sweetheart..." Mrs.Weasley warned him as she opened a bottle of some alcohol. George tightened his grip on Fred's hand, awaiting the pain. Molly poured some onto the wound and rubbed a gauze pad over it, trying to clean it out as much as she could. The pain was so unbearable that George fainted.  
"...well at least he didn't scream." Molly shrugged and continued cleaning the injury. Ginny handed her an antibacterial wipe which she used to start wiping the blood off his face and neck. She was unable to get all of it with just the wipes and sighed.  
"Don't worry, mum. I'll take care of it later." Fred placed his free hand on his mother's shoulder. He smiled gratefully at him and leaned forward to examine the damage. Indeed, his ear was gone.  
Fred took in the image of George right now. The delicate lines of his features, the long, curled blonde eyelashes that fluttered on to his cheeks. The way his lips were parted slightly and his nose pink at the tip. His eyes traveled to the injury. At the sight of just how bad it was, the rush from earlier returned. And he couldn't ignore it this time.  
What Fred felt was love. Love that shouldn't be shared with who he wants to share it with. Love that went deeper than just loving his brother. He felt the difference between love and in love. Seeing just how close he had gotten to losing George, if the curse had just been a little more to the right and cut into his brain, made him realize how true his feelings were. They were feelings he couldn't deny.  
Fred felt disgusted with himself. It was wrong. He shouldn't feel that way. Yet no matter how firmly he told himself it was wrong, in his heart it felt right.  
The news had been delivered that they had lost Mad-Eye Moody but Fred was too distracted to give it much thought. Molly placed a gauze pad with a bit of healing salve over George's injury. He had woken up and sat completely still as Mrs.Weasley got to work wrapping his head up. She gave him a sweet kiss on his forehead, running her thumb over the skin her lips had touched.  
"Freddie, keep an eye on him." She instructed him. Fred nodded and moved to take her spot as she left the room. Ginny also gave his forehead a kiss.  
"You did great, big brother. I'll go get you something light to snack on so you can have some of your strength back." Ginny whispered softly to him. George looked her in the eyes, a small grin denting his cheeks. He cupped her cheek appreciatively. She covered his hand with hers and smiled, rising to her feet and heading to the kitchen.  
"Later, we're going to the bathroom to get you all clean. Then it's off to bed. That sound good, kid?" Fred carded his fingers into George's hair, not caring that his skin war now stained with blood. George nodded sleepily. Ginny returned with some biscuits, crackers, and a water bottle. She and Fred lifted George up slightly so he was propped up more.  
"Just don't want you to choke." Ginny explained at the annoyed whimper the younger twin made. She sat next to the couch, helping him eat little bits. George could feel all eyes on him. He heard everyone whispering about him. He hated it. Normally he loved being the center of attention, but not when he in such a vulnerable state. He sighed sadly, looking at Fred with self conscious puppy eyes. Fred turned to the group, giving them a silent plea to leave. Thankfully, everyone understood, said their goodnights, and headed to bed.  
Fred and Ginny stayed down, encouraging George to eat and drink. He coughed, wincing in pain as the bandages moved over the deep gashes in his head.  
Yes, Fred hated seeing his love in pain, but he was just grateful he wasn't dead. Thinking about his feelings towards his twin, Fred decided to make that a secret he didn't tell George. At least not yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Two hours had past. George was doing a lot better, but was still in quite a bit of pain and rather irked by the blood that stained the pale skin of his neck and clumped his hair into an itchy mess. Ginny had gone to bed, telling Fred to wake her if anything happened. Fred stayed sat next to the couch. He didn't plan on leaving his side ever again, even if it would risk his feelings being exposed. Fred had his left hand placed to George's forehead to keep an eye on his temperature. His right hand was laced with George's left. Fred noticed the way George weakly ran his fingers over the blood on his neck.  
"It'll come off, do you think?" George pointed to the blood, voice raw from screaming. His voice was mainly squeaks and cracks that caused a sharp pain in his throat.  
"Ah ah ah. No more talking tonight. Big brother's orders," George opened his mouth to complain, but Fred got to it first. "Yes, I know we're twins, but I'm four minutes older, so technically you're my little brother. And I think with some good scrubbing, it'll come right off. Would you like to try getting clean?" Fred examined the blood clotted hair. George nodded lightly.  
With a lot of help from his brother, George stood. His left arm was draped over Fred's shoulders. Fred held on to George's left wrist and wrapped his arm around his waist. He supported most of his weight, holding him upright. They just had to get up two flights of stairs and they'd be in the bathroom. Slowly but surely, they walked to the first step. George took a deep breath and raised his right leg on to the step, Fred following right after. Each stair drained the younger twin, his breathing becoming heavier, vision clouding and legs shaking. Picking up on the change, Fred sat them down on the first landing.  
"It's okay, you're okay. We're going to take a little break...calm down, kid." Fred rubbed circles between his shoulder blades, attempting to get his body to relax. He slid his hand lower and lower down his back before resting it neatly on his thin hip. Fred pressed his thumb into the back of his hip and used his other hand to cup George's cheek to make him face him. George looked at his twin, his breathing quickly beginning to even out at the sight of him. The shaking just wouldn't stop.  
"Are you okay?" Fred asked, clearly concerned. George nodded. Fred noticed his shaking and grew more worried.  
"Are you cold?" George hadn't really thought about it, but now that he had, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Yes, in fact, he was cold. Quite cold. Freezing, to be honest. His very bones clattered together at the icy intrusion. Again, George nodded. Fred smiled sadly and looked down.  
"Alright. Then let's get you all warm." Fred rose to his feet. George made a move to copy his actions, but was stopped when Fred held up his hand. The older twin bent down. He tucked his right arm under his brother's legs, his left arm behind the younger's back and lifted him up surprisingly easily. He carried George up the last set of stairs that led to the bathroom, neither noticing their mother who had witnessed the whole exchange.  
George detached one of his arms from around Fred's neck to open the bathroom door. He used that same hand to flick on the lights, wincing at just how bright everything suddenly was. Fred sighed and placed George on the edge of the bath. He closed the door and shut the lights off. He snapped his fingers over various candles in the bathroom, giving the atmosphere a soft, dreamy glow. George watched every move he made. Fred reached around George and turned on the faucet to the bath, making it a bit warmer than he normally would have because of the chilly state his brother was in.  
"Okay. Strip." Fred leaned against the wall, waiting for George to get undressed. George went a deep shade of crimson and brought his quivering hands up to begin removing layers. Fred saw him quickly tire out and kneeled in front of him. He pushed George's hands away from his shirt and ordered him to lift his arms up. George did and Fred slipped it right off of his body. With a lot of concentration, he managed to keep his eyes up and focused on the level of the bath water as it filled. The rest of his clothes came off and George attempted to cross his legs, not comfortable with being so exposed. Fred chuckled and stopped the water from running anymore. He helped him ease into the warm water before standing back up.  
"You stay here, I'm going to go get you some clothes to sleep in." Fred left and made his way to their shared bedroom. As the door closed behind his carbon copy, George became anxious. He fully understood how close he had come to dying, to leaving his favorite person in the world. Having Fred next to him was like a reminder that they weren't separated and he was very much alive. George's skin was crawling as each second without Fred passed. Seconds turned to minutes and he began to think, maybe he really had died. Maybe Fred had died. Being alone in the bathroom just solidified his feelings.  
He felt the walls closing in, everything was way too close for comfort. He gulped in air, trying to get as much oxygen in his lungs as he could. George rubbed the heel of his palm against his forearm, causing the skin to turn pink. What was taking Fred so long?! Why hadn't he come back yet?!  
"F-Freddie..!" He called out. He heard the footsteps come rushing to where he was but they still sounded too far away. The door opened suddenly, making George jump and suck in a quick breath. Fred was sitting next to the bath, fear as clear as day in his body language.  
"George, what's wrong?" Fred gripped George's slick forearm.  
"D-don't go..." it hurt to use his voice, but he needed to make Fred understand.  
"I'm right here, kid. I'm right here..let's get you clean, yeah?" Fred placed the clothes on top of the toilet seat. He heard movement in the water and looked at George. George squished up against the wall, putting on his best puppy face. Understanding what he meant, Fred raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. "Would you like some company?"  
George nodded and tugged on the neck of Fred's shirt. With an over exaggerated sigh, Fred stripped and slipped in behind him. He picked up the bowl that sat next to the bath and filled it with water.  
"Tip your head back, kid."  
"Don't tell me what to do, mister." George squeaked out.  
"I told you no more talking. Now tip your head back." George stuck his tongue out at Fred and tipped his head back. Fred poured the water on to his head, covering the lack of a left ear with his hand. He summoned over a bottle of shampoo and began working out the blood from his hair. George closed his eyes, finding himself slightly leaning into the touch. He'd known since sixth year, seeing Fred with Angelina at the ball how he had felt about Fred. He put together why he was so jealous. He couldn't help but feel a romantic pull towards the ginger four minutes his senior.  
George kept this too himself, insisting he was okay whenever, surprisingly, Hermione would ask him during the time Fred and Angelina dated. It was only for a couple of weeks, but that couple of weeks the twins were separated. Fred was always with Angelina, always taking her places and talking with her, and George was pushed to the side. He would try to talk to Fred, but Angelina would always steal his attention. He would try to spend time with Fred, but Fred would be off with Angelina the second she showed up. She clearly did not like George and could not accept that Fred would always put George before a girl, so she forced his twin to become a thing of the past. George was incredibly sad during that time. He felt lost, alone. He had become rather good friends with Hermione during this time. She had been dealing with seeing Ron be with a girl that wasn't her. Hermione was the only person George ever told.  
It was the night of the ball. Fred and Angelina had spent the whole time together, while George sat alone. Hermione kept an eye on him even though she was dancing with Viktor. George had had enough of it and finally got up, leaving the great hall. Fred didn't notice until people cleared out late into the night. George had gone back to his dorm, working on rewriting out formulas for some of the products they had created. He changed out of his dress robes and into sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair now a mess. Hermione watched him leave. She explained to Viktor she had to help a friend and that she was terribly sorry. Viktor understood and went to hang out with his friends.  
Quickly, Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor common room. She climbed the stairs up to the sixth years boys dorm and opened the door. It was empty except for George with the mess of papers on his bed in front of him, quill in hand. George looked up from the papers and gave her a small smile which she returned. Hermione walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed, feeling the mattress sinking and conforming to her shape.  
"George?" She spoke softly. He had gone back to writing on the pages. "Are you okay?" Hermione placed her hand delicately on his shoulder. He turned his attention towards her, their eyes meeting. And that's when Hermione saw it. In those two, big brown eyes, she saw all the emotion she never expected to see. There in those eyes, she saw love. She saw anger and disgust and confusion and sadness. But above it all, Hermione saw love. She moved her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, wiping away a stray tear in the process.  
"You love him...don't you? More than you feel you should..." Hermione bit her lip. She wasn't disgusted at all. Just saddened. She knew how he felt, knew it all too well. She didn't want anyone to feel that way.  
George nodded weakly, blinking back tears that brimmed his eyes. Those tears matched the unshed ones Hermione held. She let out a soft sob and pulled him into a hug. From that day forward, they were basically each other's relationship counselors.  
He was snapped out of thoughts when Fred poked him in the sides. He gasped and jumped, quickly turning to face Fred. Fred laughed and grabbed their bodywash.  
"I'll take that as a no?" He chuckled and placed his soap covered hand on George's shoulder. He shivered at the sudden cool sensation the soap brought. George tilted his head to the side, indicating he did not understand what Fred meant.  
"I asked you if you could hear okay. Out of your left ear. Or ya know..what's left of it." Fred glanced at the bandages, sighing as thought about how much it must hurt. George shrugged, a "kinda" between the two of them.  
"Well as long as you can hear mostly. We'll figure out the rest before the wedding tomorrow." Fred spoke as he ran one hand up and down George's arm and the other rubbed into his twin's scalp to get rid of any of the excess soap. George sighed, a wave of sleepiness hit him like a tsunami as Fred continued the movements. He whined softly and leaned his hand onto Fred's hand, eyes half open. Fred laughed and cupped the cheek he was holding.  
"Would you like to go to bed?" Fred asked through giggles. George smiled softly and nodded. "Alright, kid. Let's go." Fred got out first, drying himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist. He picked his wand up off the sink and duplicated the clothes he picked for George. He didn't think to grab his own clothes because, in all honesty, he didn't know he'd end up in the bath too.  
He dressed himself and quickly towel dried his hair so it wouldn't be dripping down the back of his neck. Fred then opened another towel and held it in front of him. George got out and stood in front of the towel Fred was holding. He raised his arms up, letting Fred wrap it around his body.  
George dried himself to the point where his skin was still damp, but there were no droplets. Fred drained the tub and started passing clothes to George, clothes identical to the ones he was wearing. He pulled the black knee socks up to his patellas, hoping to at least slightly warm his cold feet. Next came the underwear and baggy grey sweatpants with slightly darker grey cuffs at the ankles. They were newer than his other pairs, so they were still in their fluffy days. After that was the plain black t-shirt which more than likely is supposed to belong to Fred. The t-shirt clung to his damp form, a rather uncomfortable thing, but George was too tired to care.  
"Excuse me, mister." George broke the no talking rule and coughed out those three words. Fred gave him a firm 'stop talking' look, yet still went over. Fred offered his arm to his brother. George gladly accepted the offer and linked them at the elbow. Together, they walked back to their room, legs impossibly in sync, ready to get as much rest as possible before the wedding.


	5. Chapter 5

George woke up to an empty bed. There was a throbbing ache in his head with every movement he made, as if he had just pulled his head out of the garbage disposal in the sink. However, the events of the previous day were a messy blur, making it difficult for him to pinpoint the exact cause of said ache. His hand went up to his forehead to attempt to ease the ache by rubbing at his temples. That was when he felt the bandages. He followed where they wrapped around his head, landing on where his ear should've been. George sighed as the memories of yesterday started to trickle back into his clouded mind.  
He got out of bed, quickly dressed himself up nice and made his way down to the kitchen. Everyone else was outside helping set up for the wedding, Fred included. He searched the cabinets for the little orange bottle containing their strongest pain medication. He had a feeling he would need it today. His fingers wrapped around the bottle.  
"Aha!" George whispered in triumph as he opened the bottle and took what he needed with a glass of water from the tap. He cleared his throat afterwards, his voice feeling much better after a night of not using it.  
Mrs.Weasley hurried into the house, clipboard in hand. "Oh! George! Yes, good, we need all hands on deck. The others need help setting up the tent, I think one more wand should do it. There's also another rack of chairs that must go to tables, remember, it's six chairs per table, except the head table, that one will have twelve. That table will seat, obviously, Bill and Fleur, plus Fleur's parents, myself and Dad, Gabrielle, Charlie, Ron, Ginny, Harry in disguise, and Hermione."  
Ginny had walked in just as Molly had begun reading off the list of who would sit at the main table. "Wait, what? Twelve? It should be fourteen."  
"Oh, what do you mean, dear?" Mrs.Weasley looked at Ginny in confusion.  
"Should be 14. Not 12. Did you really put them at a different table?" Ginny was getting annoyed.  
"Who are you talking about, Ginny?" Ginny took the seating chart from her mother and looked through all of the tables in disgust.  
"Are you kidding me? You have the WHOLE family at this one table, and you shoved the twins in the back corner? They're family too, ya know." She slammed the paper on to the table in anger. "Not only that, but look at him. He's not fit to do any of the setting up. He just got the side of his blown up!"  
Molly fully took in George's appearance, eyes widening in guilt at the bandages that wrapped around his head. "Oh my goodness! I am so sorry, hun. No, Ginny's right. You don't need to do anything. And, Ginerva, I put them at a different table to keep them from causing a ruckus and ruining their wedding."  
George smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes, a smile that held no emotion and gave his cheeks the ghost of a dimple. Ginny could see right through it. Molly, however, had always been blind to the twins' emotions. Sure, Ginny didn't understand them fully or see them the way the twins did, but she understood more than her mother did.  
"No, no. It's okay. I can do some setting up," George walked out the front door. He half stepped back in and turned to Mrs.Weasley. "Oh, also, if you really don't want us to get in the way, I guess Fred and I just won't go to the wedding then, seeing as that seems to be what you actually want." And with that, he made his way over to where Fred was bent down, adjusting the placement of one of the floor plants.  
Fred straightened up when he heard footsteps. Footsteps he knew better than his own. He turned around, annoyance and shock clear on his face. "What are you doing out here?! No! You need rest. You should be inside!" Fred put his hands on George's shoulders and started backing him up.  
"Mum wanted me to help set up, so here I am. Got a problem with that, mister?" He placed his hands on Fred's shoulders and pushed the other way.  
"I can't believe mum is having you work on this! In your condition! You're lucky you didn't-....um..." he trailed off and stopped pushing, his grip on George's shoulders loosening.  
"Hey. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, you know that. Sadly for you, that means your stuck with me," He smiled a real smile. Fred could physically feel his heart melt. His cheeks dusted a pale pink color and he grinned back. "Oh and guess what else I found out in there?"  
Fred noticed the glint exasperation in his eyes and sighed. "Oh merlin...what now, kid?" Fred said and crinkled his eyebrows together.  
"So every table at the wedding has six seats, except there's one table in the back corner that has two seats and it's like hidden behind plants and stuff. The main table and twelve seats. Bill, Fleur, her parents, her sister, mum and dad, Charlie, Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione. We are not included as a part of the family, and guess where we are? That back tucked away table!" George gave him a sarcastic, clearly fake smile. Bill and Fleur, who were seeing chairs up nearby, heard and went over to them, both looking disgusted.  
"What do you mean you two aren't at the main table? She can't do that! You're just as much a part of this as she is." Bill huffed and ran his hands through his long hair.  
"You ar' familee. You mus' be at ou' tayble." Fleur shook her head of silvery hair in disbelief.  
"Exactly. You're my little brothers, not having you two there wouldn't be right, it'd be flat out disrespectful. George, did mum give a reason why?" Bill spoke in an agitated tone, his hand finding the crook of George's neck, rubbing his thumb into the skin. George nodded innocently.  
"Mhm. She said she didn't want us making a scene and ruining the wedding." Fred pulled at his hair, struggling to keep his cool. Bill caught the crook of Fred's neck with his other hand, giving him a stern stare. He had always done this exact thing to them when their whole lives when he really needed them to stay calm and talk to him so he could really take on his role as eldest brother and work things out to make it all better.  
"But it wouldn't be as fun if you two didn't cause a scene. Hell, we even wanted you two to make a speech together! And to put Harry and Hermione, Ron's friends, instead of you two, her own sons, my brothers, the new additions to Fleur's family too. That is an outrage. One I will not stand for. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have a word with our dear mother." Bill ruffled their hair and grinned bitterly. Bill kissed Fleur on the cheek and turned on his heel, marching into the house.  
Fleur smiled apologetically at them. She looked at George and her eyes went wide. She cupped his cheeks looking him all over. "Oh no, George, please seet down. You 'ave gone white like ghost," She brought a chair over and had him sit. " 'ere. I will go get water and biscuits." Fleur hurried inside. Now that it was mentioned, George did feel rather lightheaded. The room was spinning, his vision blurring as it did. His remaining ear was ringing and he could hear the blood rushing in the missing one.  
"Shit..." George put his head in his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. Upon touching his face, he felt just how cold, yet sweaty his skin was. He was breathing heavily, trying to relax his body.  
"George?" Fred pulled a chair up facing George. He took a seat and grabbed his twin's wrists. "George, can you hear me?" He had begun to panic. He placed his hand under George's chin and made him look up. Fred smiled reassuringly at him.  
"Kid, I need you to stay awake for me. Yeah? Can you do that? Fleur is coming back now with the water and biscuits. Can you hear her running through the grass?" Fred kept George's eyes on him. Fleur ran back over and placed the stuff on the table.  
"I will go let your mum know." She stared at him sadly and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before going back inside.  
Fred grabbed the water and biscuits and began trying to get George to cooperate. They were a very stubborn pair. Fred grumbled in irritation and switched how they sat. He pulled the younger on to his lap so George was straddling his thighs. George's hands found Fred's shoulders and he rested their foreheads together.  
"You need to eat and drink." Fred mumbled and tipped the water down George's throat. He had gotten through biscuits and half the glass of water when they began joking around.  
Their foreheads went back together and George leaned forward, nuzzling his nose against Fred's. They both laughed breathily. The laughter was short lived as they realized how close they were. Identical brown eyes met, fire and passion lining both pairs, the other completely oblivious as to what it meant. Simultaneously, their eyes flickered down to the other's lips, which were just centimetres from their own.  
Fred gulped, his heart pounding against his ribcage. He tilted his head slightly, slowly closing the gap. Both were shaking as their lips brushed. They each felt the automatic warmth and could only pray their twin felt the same warmth.  
It was George who took the chance and sealed their lips. They sat there for a few seconds, both too scared to move. Finally, Fred nudged his lips against George's, causing the younger twin to jump but return with an equally timid movement. Slowly, they got more into it. Fred slid his hands up George's thighs before resting them on his hips. George moved his hands from Fred's shoulders to the back of his neck.  
They moved in sync, slowly and lovingly, trying to savor the feeling of kissing and imprint the taste of the other into their brain. Fred was cinnamon sticks and gingerbread while George was honey and hot chocolate. Fred's grip tightened on his hips before they both pulled back, gasping for air.  
After a couple seconds, George carded his fingers in Fred's hair and pulled him back in. Fred slid his tongue on George's lower lip, where he gladly was let in. Tongues slid past each other, saliva slowly starting a trail down both their chins. Fred took George's lower lip into his mouth, sucking lightly and nibbling at the sure to be bruised skin. George sighed happily and let Fred continue the abuse on his lips. Fred focused on the kiss, rather than the warmth building in the pit of his stomach. He smirked at every little noise from the other, glad he was the only one hearing them.  
Fred was so in love. So deeply, foolishly, truly in love. He felt like he had just met his soul mate after a lifetime of loneliness. He wanted to kiss him forever, he wanted to be able to do it whenever he wanted. He needed this boy in his lap to be his. But of course, he would never say anything. He knew George didn't feel the same. How could he?  
But he did. George had been waiting to kiss Fred since sixth year. He was over the moon, his heart was beating at a pace that surely couldn't have been healthy. You could never meet someone more in love then they were. So infatuated with the other, yet so oblivious to how each other felt, even as they kissed in the yard.  
Fred heard the front door knob turn. His eyes went wide and he yanked back immediately. "Someone's coming." He whispered. Quickly, George went back to his original seat.  
"Let's uh...yeah...that um...it was just the heat of the moment. Just...pretend it never happened, deal?" Fred bit his lip, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. He looked down at his lap. He burned bright red at the tent in his trousers and did his best to hide it. He did notice George also having to adjust in his pants, shoving his own between his legs.  
"Alright, well now I don't think we can pretend it didn't happen." George laughed.  
"I apologize for your now bruised lower lip that people will definitely notice." Fred chuckled. "But...yeah, ya know. We've uh...we've kissed before, it's fine. Sure, normally it's just a lil peck, but um...yeah. It did get a bit out of hand."  
"Yeah, just a bit. I love adding to your embarrassment, which is why I am going to love pointing out that it doesn't seem you minded it going a bit out of hand." George smirked and motioned to Fred's lower half. Fred bit down his blush and put on an identical smirk.  
"No, I did not mind. May have even not ended it if someone hadn't opened the door. You got a problem with it?" Fred crossed his arms and sat with his legs more open than before. George bit his lip and gulped, trying to keep his eyes up.  
"A different problem than you're talking about, but a problem all the same..." he gripped the edges of the chair, squirming lightly in his seat.  
"Well...then I might need to take care of that problem later. Of course, if you want me to take care of it for you, Georgie. I would hate to leave you to figure it out all by yourself." Fred smiled innocently. He can totally do this without revealing his feelings, right? It'll be fine, they'll just have a couple drinks beforehand.  
"Oh merlin...trust me, I have absolutely no objection to you doing it." His pupils were blown wide like dandelions.  
"Alright," Fred smirked. "You'll have to wait till after the wedding, I'm afraid."  
George whined and pouted. But of course, he couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idea for chapter:  
> Weasley Twins2

Music played as Bill and Fleur had their first dance. It was quite the beautiful thing to see. There was so much love circling the two, the whole tent was effected by it. Fred had been talking to Ginny the entire time, leaving George to drink on his own. He sipped gingerly at his firewhiskey as a certain bushy haired girl took a seat next to him.  
"Hello, George. How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, concern laced in her words. She took in the lonesome look on his face plus the drink in his hand and frowned.  
"Well, I've definitely felt better." George sighed and gulped down the rest of his glass, letting the liquid sting at his alcohol experienced throat.  
"Did something happen? You and Fred haven't been together all night. He didn't find out about...you know...did he?" She kept her voice low, which George appreciated greatly. He nibbled his lower lip and began rubbing his palm against his forearm.  
"Yeah...um. We kinda...kissed? And it was good?" He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried wording his sentences.  
"Why did your voice go up?" Hermione took his wrist in her hand and pulled it away from his other arm, stopping him from worrying the skin of his forearm which was beginning to turn pink.  
"Because...he started it. And I don't know what that means, and that scares me. He got rather put on from kissing me. You know what I mean. But it was just a heat of the moment thing. He pulled me into his lap because I almost fainted. We were joking around and laughing like we always did, but suddenly we were right there, like half an inch apart. And it just...happened? He said we can pretend it never happened, or he offered rather inappropriate stuff for after the wedding," George shoved those images to the back of his head. "But it feels like he's been ignoring me kind of. Not in a needy way, but like...I feel like he knows that I don't think of it as a mistake and it feels like he's disgusted and hates me."  
Hermione listened very carefully to every word he said. She felt horrible. To her, George was an angel. To her, he didn't deserve to feel like he's hated by his favorite person in the world and, dare she say, soulmate.  
"Well, I know this won't help much. But you should probably know that the whole time he's been talking to Ginny, he keeps looking over at you and smiling with a little blush. Ginny needs to keep physically turning his head and reminding him "Fred, stop staring at him, people are going to think you're creepy!" It's quite funny, really. You may also like to know he's staring right now." Hermione smirked lightly seeing George's eyes go wide. He sat up straight, he's cheeks, nose, and ears turning a deep pink. She giggled and turned his head to face Fred.  
George gulped and the corners of his lips turned up slightly. Fred smiled warmly and whispered something to Ginny. He pushed himself off the wall and began walking towards where George and Hermione sat. Hermione elbowed George in the ribs, beaming from ear to ear. She stood from her seat, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and went to go be with Ron, though she watched the exchange.  
Fred took Hermione's old seat next to his twin. "Hello there, gorgeous. Come here often?" He smirked. George blushed even more and chuckled.  
"What's it to you, mister?" George placed his refilled glass down, his elbow on the bar. He rested his chin lightly in the palm of his hand and smiled with a slightly raised eyebrow at Fred.  
"Well I could have sworn I saw someone just like you here earlier. Him and I just became the best of friends," Fred smiled innocently. "But. I also learned that this boy who looked so much like you, was quite the kisser. He was rather incredible at it, definitely knows how to use that tongue."  
George bit his lip. "And if it wasn't me?" He crossed his arms.  
"Then that would be a real shame. I wanted to ask him if he'd like to do it again sometime. Obviously it wouldn't mean anything, him and I could've been twins. But, that doesn't mean I don't want to kiss him again." Fred shot him a devilish smirk. He added the last few bits as an attempt to secure his secret even more in his brain while still getting what he so desperately craved.  
"Well, I think he would be all for doing it again. More than once again, of course. Quite a few times again. And like you said, of course it means nothing. Purely platonic." George matched Fred's smirk.  
"Oh really? Well..." he leaned in to whisper just to his twin. "Everyone is focused on Bill and Fleur. They won't notice if we slip inside the house for a bit."  
"Are you sure you want to risk it? Imagine the explaining if someone walks in." George whispered just as softly as Fred.  
"Look, all I know is that I really want to kiss you again. So let me, because I said so." Fred chortled as he spoke the last sentence. George bit his lip and looked around. Nobody was paying attention to them, so he turned back to Fred and nodded. Fred felt his energy level shoot through the roof and he grabbed George's hand and ran to the house. He pushed opened the door, closing it as quickly yet quietly as possible behind them.  
Next thing George knew, he was up against the wall next to the door, and Fred's lips were on his for the second time that day. Fred was fast and rough, trying to taste every last bit of George's mouth. He licked at his lower lip, practically begging to be let in. George kept his mouth shut, not going to give in as easily as last time. Fred had other plans. He slid his hands down to George's bum, causing the younger twin to gasp. Fred took the opportunity to slip his tongue into his mouth. He ran his tongue over everything he could before sighing contentedly and rubbing it against George's. George whined softly and pushed their hips together, knowing damn well he wouldn't be this brave if it weren't for the many alcoholic beverages running in his veins. He could taste the combination Bloody Mary's and margaritas on Fred's tongue as it mixed with his own firewhiskey coated mouth. Neither were in the right state of mind as Fred broke from the kiss, tipping his head down to mark George's neck with wet, open-mouthed kisses. George was burning up, freckled face glowing deep red. Fred ground his hips down against his twin's, both of them sucking in a sharp breath at the sudden friction. Their hearts slammed against their chests and they breathed with a certain heavy, windedness. They rubbed against each other hungrily, as if it were the first time either had ever gotten off.  
They had just gone back to shoving their tongues down each other's throats when they heard the screaming.  
"They're here..." Fred whispered as he pulled back, eyes wide in shock.  
"Shit, shit, shit...okay. Come on, we have to help them!" George grabbed their wands off the kitchen table and handed Fred his. Both gingers had snapped out of their drunken state as if it were just a button they had to push. They hurried outside, watching as people screamed in terror and ran away, black cloaked figures appearing everywhere. Spells were being shot left and right and all the twins could do was join in the fight.  
They found themselves in the middle of it all, fighting side by side, surrounded by death eaters. Fred noticed they had formed a circle and quickly moved where he was so he stood back to back with his brother, protecting them from both sides.  
George looked around. His whole family was gone. They all left. Took Harry and Hermione, and left them completely on their own. He fought best with Fred. Better than he fought on his own. When they fought together, they connected in a way no other pair ever has. They were strong. Stronger than if you paired two of the most powerful witches or wizards.  
Fred watched as death eater after death eater fell to the ground or ran away because of him. It made him smile. The twins' actions became more angry. A scary kind of angry. One where they used spells they would never normally consider. And as they fought back to back, their true connection really began to physically show.  
A sparkling, pearly white, translucent dome took form around them. The glittering white color shone most brightly right off of them as it seemed to have lined their bodies. If one were to look in their eyes, they wouldn't see they normal light, honey brown color, but instead the brightest of white covering the whole surface. A magical literal bond formed around them as they fought, attaching them at the hip. They were even more powerful anytime this happened. They always kept it to themselves that it could happen in the first place though, not wanting people to think of them as liars or even more reckless.  
Few death eaters fled the scene at the sight of the connection, the rest staying.  
"Stupefy!" One cried out as they fired the stunning spell that hit Fred right in the chest. Fred gasped harshly before he fell to the damp grass, unconscious. While George was in shock that Fred had been knocked down, a flash of red light hit him in the back and he too went down, landing right next to Fred.  
The death eaters gathered around. "So which is these twos?" One asked as he turned Fred's head with the toe of his shoe.  
"Those there are them there twins. Two of em." Another answered.  
"What's up with the head o' this kid? All wrappin' shit, ya see?" The first asked.  
"We bout to find out in a few bits. Take them where we put those others. Tie em up though, wouldya? Put up a hell of a fight." The second spoke before pulling his foot back and giving George a swift kick to the jaw. Two death eaters stepped up and bent down, grabbing the twins and tossing them over their shoulders.  
It was a surprisingly lengthy walk as they made their way to some abandoned warehouse the next street over. They kept the lights off to freak out the bunch of gingers just a tad bit more. The two made as much noise as possible as they came in and sat the identical redheads on their knees. With a flick of a wand, shimmering ropes tied their wrists behind their backs and to their ankles, which were also bound together. Their heads slumped forward, chins hitting their chests. The second one waved their wand to bring them back to consciousness. He growled at them before giving each a hard smack across the face. The main death eater waited till his guys backed up to turn the lights on.  
The bright, florescent white lights had the Weasley bunch squinting. The lights buzzed softly as electricity coursed through them. Everyone opened their eyes, looking around at each other. Everybody else was sat in a chair, their wrists tied to the arms of it.  
"Oh Fred..! George..! Are you okay, what happened?!" Arthur asked impatiently. Fred felt singled out as he looked at his family. Why were they all in chairs? Why were he and George forced to the ground and tied up like rotisserie meat?  
"You lot can ask questions to each of yous later. But I'm here for one thing, and one thing only," the death eater paced in the middle of the circle of Weasleys they had created. "Where. Is. Harry. Potter."  
They all remained silent. The death eaters grumbled angrily and cracked their joints.  
"Let me ask you again. Where is Harry Potter, bitch!" He spat out in Ginny's face. She sat there stone faced, refusing to back down. "So no one's brave enough to speak up? Well then maybe I'll need to-"  
"We don't know where he is." George said nonchalantly. Mrs.Weasley's eyes went wide in fear. She looked to her son, silently begging him to shut up.  
"Oh, so now you talk?" The death eater smirked. He crouched down so he was level with George.  
"Yes, now we talk. So sorry for not doing it before, but you didn't give us a chance. Heaven forbid we want to be polite, even to those who clearly don't deserve it." George smiled innocently. Fred held back a laugh at his twin's courage to talk to a death eater like that.  
"Unlike my dear brother here, polite isn't in my vocabulary. I was zoning out the whole time, thinking what I'm doing later. Got a problem with that, cupcake?" Fred raised an eyebrow, a sneer on his face. Everyone was terrified of what the twins were doing. So casually risking their lives like that. Hermione was so scared, tears began streaking down her face. Bill had his head down, silently praying that nothing too bad would happen.  
"What. Did you. Call me." The death eater spoke through gritted teeth. He seemed to feel a lot tougher now that the twins were tied up and unable to fight him.  
"Cupcake. Now back to your question about Harry Potter, we don't know where he is." Fred continued.  
"Yes. You do know where he is."  
"Are you deaf? I just said we don't know. Maybe if you actually listened, you would've caught that the first time." Fred glared at the death eater, a sense of power building up in his chest.  
"Oh you wanna be a smart ass, do you? You're gonna pay for that, motherfucker." Fred rolled his eyes. They couldn't hurt him. The thought of that made him want to laugh.  
"Oh yeah? Do your worst." Fred continued to taunt.  
The death eater smirked wickedly. "Don't you worry. I will." Fred had a bored look on his face as he waited for a string of curses to hit him. But they didn't come. Instead, he heard the cutting of ropes to his side. Fred turned his head to the sound, his eyes going wide as realization dawned on him. George was dragged into the center of the circle.  
"Oh now you're scared, huh? Scared your little twin is gonna get an owwie?" The death eater laughed and turned to George. He struck another kick to his jaw before pointing his wand at the ginger. With a disgusting smile, he spoke. "Crucio."  
Everyone burst into tears as soon as the punishment had started. George lay on the ground, body convulsing, screaming in a way they were sure matched that of someone being burned alive. Fred was sobbing, wishing he could just faint so he wouldn't have to hear his brother in pain.  
"Stop! Stop, please! Stop hurting him! Hurt me, please, just not him!" Fred begged, voice straining to be heard above the screams. The death eater grinned and lifted the curse. George's lay motionless where he was, body twitching every once in a while.  
The death eater turned on his heel and began to walk out. Just before he did, he once again pointed his wand to George and flicked his wrist. George gasped harshly, chest heaving as he felt he had just been winded. Blood was once again, staining the gauze and wrap over his now missing ear. The death eater had reopened the wound. The other two death eaters waved their wands, untying the rest of the family.  
"You can all go when you want. Don't think we won't be back." The three left, slamming the door behind him.  
Everybody was silent except for the occasional sob that left someone. As soon as the ropes left him, Fred dove forward to begin helping his twin who couldn't stop the post cruciatus muscle spasms.  
"I'm so sorry...I'm so so sorry. I didn't know, I should have shut up. I'm so sorry." Fred cried, cupping the slightly younger ginger's cheeks. George smiled up at him.  
"Not you're fault, Freddie..." he whispered, voice quivering. Molly and Arthur were the next to jump forward, the rest too scared to accidentally hurt him more.  
"Oh my baby...my sweet baby. Don't worry, honey, I'm here. You're going to be okay. We're going to get you back home now, okay? We'll fix you right up, I promise." Molly was crying more than anyone. Bill went forward to pick him up. George whined and Bill stopped, scared he was hurting even more than he already was. George looked at Bill, then to Fred, and back to Bill with puppy eyes. Fred only cried more as he slipped his arms around him.  
Everyone else followed as Fred walked holding him back to the Burrow. "Where should he go?" Fred asked his mother.  
"Wherever he wants to go, darling." She smiled softly.  
"Where to, kid?" Fred said in a soft voice.  
"R-room.." George looked up at Fred, and raised his arm to his cheek, wincing at the shocks that ran through his back.  
"You heard him. Up to your room. I'll bring up some pain medication and soup in a bit." Mrs.Weasley went on her very tiptoes to kiss Fred on the cheek and then George. Fred walked up the stairs, feeling worse and worse with every step he took. He kicked open the door, using the same foot to close it softly behind him. Fred placed George on his bed and sat next to him.  
"Wanna go back to the shop tomorrow." George said and smiled at Fred.  
"Yeah...that sounds good. Can get back to our own space, back to selling, and most importantly-" Fred began.  
"Creating and inventing." George finished. Fred laughed and regarded George with a saddened look.  
"I mean it, though. I really am sorry." Fred sighed.  
"It's not your fault, Freddie. It's fine. I'll be okay." George smiled reassuringly at him.  
"Whatever you say. I am incredibly sorry. Let me change your bandages, yeah?" Fred moved to grab the wraps before he got an answer. He had George lie on his right side so Fred could reach the injury. He unwrapped the old bandages, frowning at how bad it looked. He poured some of the cleansing alcohol onto a gauze pad and began gently cleaning the injury and wiping up the blood. There were four deep, deep gashes that showed exactly where it had been cut off, where they were no longer identical.  
"I know what you're thinking. Don't do anything to that ear of yours. I like that ear." George mumbled with a little smile.  
"What's wrong with the right ear?" Fred asked with fake hurt.  
"That's not the one you're ready to cut off!" George laughed.  
"Oh shut up, loser." Fred smiled and instructed him to sit up. Fred did most of the work in getting him to sit up and stay sat up. George leaned against Fred, humming softly as Fred wrapped fresh, clean bandages around his head. "All done!" He grinned proudly and helped him lie back down. Just as George had hit the pillow, Mrs.Weasley opened the door.  
"I have soup and pain medication. Soup for both of you, meds for Georgie, and a sweet dreams potion for both of you. I know how badly you two need it. You'll feel a bit drowsy, but you'll fall asleep with the best of dreams." She placed the tray on their shared bedside table and handed the spoons to Fred. He once again helped George sit up. Molly cupped their faces, running her thumbs over their sharp cheekbones. "I love you both, very much. Just yell if you need anything." With a final smile, she left.  
Fred sat with his back to the headboard. George turned and sat with his back to Fred's chest. "You need to eat, kid. Especially with pain meds that strong. If you don't, you'll throw up, and that won't feel too good." And slowly but surely, they both got the soup down. George took his pills and was sipping at his water.  
Fred sneezed, causing George to jump and choke on his drink. He laughed and coughed, trying to steady his heart after the sudden sound. He elbowed Fred, still laughing too much to speak. Fred chuckled and shook his head. "It's the little things, is it Georgie?"  
George was so giggling as he handed Fred's potion to him and drank his own. It was a pale, sparkly pink, a color George couldn't help but get excited about. Fred downed his in three gulps and waited for to finish his. Once he had, Fred took both the cups, leaned over and placed them back on the bedside table.  
"I'm still sorry." Fred muttered as he began to feel more and more tired.  
"Still not your fault." George sighed and turned slightly, tucking his head into Fred's neck. Within seconds, both were out like a light, into the most perfect of dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred's dream and his thoughts afterwards.

Fred dreamed of George. He dreamed of fiery red hair that seemed to warm anywhere he was. Freckles that put the stars in the galaxies to shame. Pale skin that shone like a snapped glowstick in the dark. And brown eyes that held thousands of galleons worth of gold flecks in them.  
He dreamed not only of George, but of him as belonging to Fred. In Fred's dream, they sipped wine in the bath, though neither were too fond of the taste. Fred would just feed him nonstop compliments that he meant every word behind. And George would turn away and blush, and Fred would just smile. He'd look at the face that he knew belonged to the love of his life, and he smiled. A soft smile, one that gripped to love.  
"I hate you so much." George would whisper with a grin and Fred would smirk back at him, causing his twin to blush more.  
"Now, now, Georgie, we both know that's not true." Fred would joke right back as George shook his head with an over exaggerated sigh.  
"You're right. I love you too much to ever consider hating you." And George would be smiling because, wow did he love this person with him. Fred reached across the bath, taking George's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together.  
"I love you too. So much." Fred said as he ran his fingers over George's knuckles. They would get out when they pads of their fingers began to wrinkle and the water went cold. They then move to their shared room in their shared apartment above their shared shop.  
Right after getting dressed, Fred took a hold of both of George's wrists just as George was about to leave the room. Fred sighed happily, a sweet smile on his lips. He leaned back against the wall and used that falling motion plus a tug of his arms to pull George towards him. He wrapped his arms tightly around his waist and, giggling, George's hands went to his shoulders. There they stood, chest to chest, hearts pounding like they were skipping class to snuggle in a broom closet.  
Fred nuzzled into the freckles on George's face, pressing the lightest of butterfly kisses to his cheekbones.  
"Mmm don't go..." Fred mumbled. He could feel George's cheek heat up under his lips as he blushed and his cheekbones now had a bit more chub to them as he smiled.  
"But I want teaaaa." George complained softly, making Fred chuckle.  
"That can wait, hun.." Fred lightly took a hold of George's chin and tilted his head up that little half inch. With the most loving of grins, Fred kissed his dear softly. He couldn't help his grin from widening as the kiss was returned with just as much love. Every time he kissed George, it felt like it was the first time all over again. It was soft and slow and almost made both of them a tad bit drowsy. Fred tilted his head slightly to the side, deepening the kiss, intensifying the love and understanding between the two.  
It made him excited, giddy. His heart would bang against his ribcage, making his chest ache. His breath got caught in his throat and he would just hold him tighter in his arms. Fred pulled back and rested their foreheads together.  
"Do you really want that tea?" He smirked playfully, it made George laugh.  
"It can wait.." George said breathlessly and smiled.  
"I thought so...I love you so much." Fred pressed a kiss to his forehead. George rested his head on Fred's shoulder and looked up at Fred with so much love in his eyes.  
"I love you too.." and just as Fred leaned back in to kiss him once again, he woke up.  
Fred chose to keep his eyes closed, trying to remember every last millisecond of this dream. He knew as soon as he opened his eyes, all of that happiness would go away. He would crushed by reality that his twin was only his twin. That they will never be anything more.  
Finally, Fred opened his eyes. He saw the freckled boy that was the star of his dream fast asleep on top of him, his head in his neck. Fred bit his lip and stared down at George.  
He brought his hand up, and ever so delicately traced the angles of his face with his index finger. He trailed it along George's jawline and caressed his cheek before moving up. His finger went across his sharp cheekbone, slipping into the deep hollow of his cheek made by said bone. With an even lighter touch, he slid his finger down the bridge of his nose, pressing lightly at the very button tip.  
With hesitant movements, he softly his finger over George's slightly parted lips, gulping his craving down as he did so. Those pale pink, freckled lips that Fred couldn't help but want to kiss like he did in his dream. He felt his mouth suddenly become dry, as if he'd just been forced to eat a cardboard box. He swallowed dryly and took a deep, quivering breath.  
Fred still couldn't believe it. Not only had he actually kissed George but his biggest dream was to have him as his own, doing cliché couple stuff. He was ready to surprise him with bouquets of flowers and have bubble baths, build blanket forts to talk about the world in. Fred wanted to take him out to fancy restaurants on their anniversary and buy him gifts at random times. Fred's heart skipped a beat at the thought of having an anniversary with George.  
His eyes wandered all over his body. 'What a masterpiece of a person,' Fred thought. 'The stars would be proud to know they made someone like you.'  
He laid his hand on his back, feeling the way the muscles tensed then relaxed soon after. He smiled to himself and felt every curve through the thin fabric of his shirt. Fred chuckled at how defined the muscles in his back were, clearly years as a beater paid off. He thought back to being on the quidditch team with his brother.  
The way they worked together made them the best beaters the school's ever seen, a title they were incredibly proud of. Fred loved that Lee was the commentator, not only for the amusing remarks, but because he didn't call them "One of the Weasley Twins". Even from across the whole field, he could tell whether it was Fred or George that had hit the bludger.  
Every year, Gryffindor would be in the final game for the cup, and every year, most of his family would show up. All of his brothers, his sister, his father. The only one who never came to one game was their mother. She didn't go to any of them and only started going when Ron and Ginny were on the team. She never saw the way the twins worked or how good they were at the sport. Mrs.Weasley didn't even know they were on the team until Ron asked her in their last year of Hogwarts if she was going to come to Fred and George's very last game. She was confused and asked what he meant. Fred doesn't remember the last time he'd felt so hurt. It just showed that Molly would tune the two out whenever one of them spoke to her. The only time she mentioned them being on the team was when she scolded them for getting in trouble and said maybe they deserved that lifetime ban, "the team will probably do better without you anyways."  
Fred felt the anger and hurt build up in his stomach and quickly distinguished those memories. It was difficult to stop feeling something so strong so suddenly, yet one look at George and it was as if he had never felt it.  
Time and time again, he thought to himself how wrong it was to be feeling such things and that he was a disgusting creep for letting himself feel these things. He would think he'd finally squished those feelings, and then someone would mention his twin's name or he'd see him out of the corner of his eye and they'd all come right back.  
Every time he was with George, it would come to him. Fred would never hold any of his other siblings like this. He would never run his fingers through their hair or trace the muscles in their back or the edges of they face. He wouldn't cup their cheeks or kiss their foreheads. He most certainly wouldn't kiss them like that or want to keep kissing them like that...no, he would never. Because they weren't George.  
They weren't as built as his twin, and most definitely weren't as freckled. They weren't as tall as him and didn't have hands that were almost the same size as Fred's yet the slightest bit smaller. Their cheekbones weren't as sharp and not even the trace of a dimple was apparent on their cheeks. They didn't have his sense of humor and the gorgeous laughter to match. His other siblings weren't as sweet and immature as his twin. They weren't him, which made it so Fred, thank goodness, felt a purely family appreciation for them.  
Wow did he appreciate George. The way he moved, breathed, existed. He was the least graceful creature Fred had ever seen. Long limbs that he didn't really know how to work just yet, constantly tripping, hence the marks on their door. Seeing his chest rise and fall reminded Fred he was alive and well, something he always hopes he will be. His very presence made Fred want to be a better person. Their was just this air he gave off that always made Fred stop and realize how truly beautiful the world is.  
Fred appreciates the masterpiece that is George, because to him, his existence alone is art. Fred bit his lip and looked down George as he slotted his fingers into his hair.  
With a gulp and the slight tightening of his fingers in George's hair, Fred spoke to his sleeping form.  
"I think I am falling in love with you..."


	8. Chapter 8

Buisness was booming that day. The twins were running all over their shop, trying to tend to everyone they could. It was rather overwhelming to say the least. The place was filled with conversation, voices mixing into a big, happy mess. Words were not able to be shared between the two as they were constantly being dragged away and decided a high five every time they passed each other would do just fine.  
Fred was on the second floor, explaining to a customer the color codes in the Skiving Snackboxes, while George was on the first floor at the register. A woman came up to the register, dragging her child with her.  
"You. I want to make a return." She grumbled.  
"Of course. May I ask what?" George smiled brightly at her. They got angry people every once in a while but it was nothing they couldn't handle.  
"That darkness bomb bullshit thing." She pushed her receipt towards him across the counter.  
"Alright. Is there anything wrong with it?" He asked her, keeping his tone friendly.  
"I told him he couldn't use it inside and he set it off in the living room!" The woman shoved her son forward. George smiled at the boy who looked no older than fourteen.  
"I'm sorry, ma'am. But once it's been used, we can't give you your money back. It says so right on the sign outside the door in bright pink letters." George went to hand her the receipt back.  
"That shit destroyed my living room! Black, everywhere! I had no idea it would make everything dark!" She was yelling now.  
"Ma'am, it's called Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. I don't really know what you expected. And if you had any questions, you could have just asked us." George shrugged and pulled one of the stone-like objects out from under the counter.  
"This is bullshit! I want to speak to your fucking manager." The woman leaned forward across the counter, glaring daggers into George.  
"Oh sure, let me get him for you," George tightened his tie, "Hello, I'm the manager." He beamed at her. The woman was shaking she was so angry.  
"Fine! Then give me the owner."  
"That's also me."  
"There's more than one owner! Give me them. You're getting your ass fired." She pointed a threatening finger at him.  
"Okay, I'll get him," George turned to the stairs and called up, "Freddie! We have an angry customer!"  
Fred materialized next to George with a loud crack, a sound regular customers at the shop were used to with how often the twins needed to apparate to help everyone quicker.  
"Hello, miss. What seems to be the problem?" Fred gave an easy smile. She was fuming even more than before seeing that they were related. She knew he wouldn't fire his brother. Instead of fighting more, the woman growled and left, leaving behind her son who couldn't help but laugh.  
"Thank you, mister." George elbowed Fred.  
"You're welcome, kid." Fred grinned and apparated away.  
"You set it off in the living room?" George said as he turned to the kid. The boy smiled and nodded.  
"Yeah, mum was so angry. It was worth it though." He said with a laugh. George shook his head and chuckled. The kid only came up to a bit under his collarbones.  
"So what made you want to cause such a scene?" George asked.  
"You, really." The boy shrugged. George was taken aback.  
"What? Me? What do you mean?" George furrowed his brows and rested his arms on the counter.  
"Hogwarts. People can't stop talking about you two. Always talking about the amazing pranks you pulled and constantly being in detention. They say how you always made their day just that much better. And don't even get me started on your seventh year dropout. It's legendary. You two are now legendary there. You're my inspiration, I want to be just like you." The kid gushed, clearly overly excited about talking to the ginger. George couldn't help the red that flushed his cheeks. He had thought people forgot them by now.  
"What's your name, kid?" George tilted his head slightly to the left.  
"Timothy, sir." The boy, Timothy, grinned enthusiastically.  
"Sir? I don't think I'll ever get used to that...George is fine, Timothy." He smiled.  
"Oh merlin...I don't think I could ever call you by your first name. You're too great for that. Hey, what happened to your head?" Timothy pointed at the bandages that wrapped around George's head. George brought his hand up to where his ear should've been.  
"Ah, I got my ear blown off by a couple death eaters a few days ago. It's whatever, though. Shiiiii- you're a child, I can't say that. Stuff happens." George explained. He gulped as the memories of that night reminded him of the impending war coming their way. He wished Fred were right next to him now.  
"Oh, I understand. Do you plan on fighting in the battle?" Timothy spoke a bit softer when he asked this.  
"Definitely. The world has too much darkness and it is literally my job to bring light during all of it. I have a good feeling we can win." George faked the confidence in his words. He was terrified for the battle and really didn't feel they would win this.  
"I'm fighting in it too. Professor McGonagall said she wanted all hands on deck for this." Timothy said with a sense of pride.  
"How old are you anyway?" George asked.  
"Fourteen. I'll be going into my fourth year of Hogwarts in September."  
"Oh I remember my fourth year...yeah, a huge snake got released and started petrifying people," George had a clearly sarcastic dreamy look on his face as if he were remember the good old days. "What a time to be alive."  
Timothy laughed at that. He stopped when he noticed George's lack of a smile. "Oh you're serious."  
George nodded. "But it all turned out okay in the end. Then the year after that, there was a murder in our school. Then You-Know-Who came back the next year and someone died. Then this bitch- I mean this very nice lady, became the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Fred and I dropped out." George smiled as he thought of just his crazy his time at Hogwarts was. He thought of everything he and Fred did together, the roaring applause after every little prank they pulled. It was quite surreal to think it was just because they wanted to make people happy. And now here they were, owning a rather successful buisness doing what they love most in the world, even if it did go against their mother's wishes.  
Their parents, Charlie, and Percy had never been to the shop. Percy, because he felt it was ridiculous and didn't want to be associated with them at all. Charlie, because he's been off in Romania and has only seen pictures. Molly has never been against any of her kids' dreams, but as soon as the twins mentioned a joke shop, they were shot down faster than they could say Weasley, so she chose to never even go see it. Arthur didn't go out of almost fear of Molly, which was understandable. She could be a rather intimidating woman when she wanted to be.  
Yet here George stood, standing face-to-face with a fourteen year old boy named Timothy, being told he was a legend at Hogwarts, and Timothy's own personal hero. Timothy with his dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes to match, definitely shorter than George was when he was fourteen. Wow, was it really five years ago?! It felt like it was only yesterday. He had taken a liking to Timothy, as small as the kid may be. He reminded George of himself, really. Incredibly excitable, quite the troublemaker, only goal is to make people smile. Timothy wanted to be just like George! Could you believe it?! This kid who was always told he had no future and was going no where in life and was nothing more than a troublemaker, is now this little boy's hero.  
"It's crazy how the world works..." George mumbled. He smiled to himself and looked back down at Timothy who was watching him with wide, giddy eyes. He shook his head in amusement and his smile widened.  
"It really is crazy, huh? Like I've only ever heard of you from other students and teachers and oh boy, especially Professor McGonagall and Flitwick. Flitwick said he's never been more proud of any of his students than he was of you and Fred and that he is and always will be your biggest fan. And McGonagall always smiles sweetly and says how much like sons you were to her, even though you were a pain in the neck, she said, and I quote "those two were closest thing to cloning without actually cloning. Put their magic together, and boy, were they a force to be reckon with." And now here I am! Meeting you! Talking to you! And oh merlin, please don't let this be a dream..." Timothy was getting more overwhelmed by the second, it was clear in his eyes.  
"I promise you it's not a dream. How about you right to me throughout the school year? That way you get prank help, and I get to make sure you're doing okay and can beat up the mean people." George grinned at the boy. Timothy's eyes went impossibly wide as he nodded frantically.  
"Yes! Yes, definitely! I'll write as often as I can!" His voice was going higher. He was a sweet kid, really. George could only hope he wasn't always going to act as honored to speak with him. "Okay, okay. I should probably get back to my mum, now. She'll get mad if I don't hurry up. I'll write as much as possible!" Timothy waved with a big smile as he ran out.  
George went to the back room to take inventory, see what products they needed to restock. He was counting the Fainting Fancies when Fred apparated next to him, causing George to drop the box with a gasp. Fred laughed and crouched down with his twin to help pick up the packages.  
"You are the worst, I swear." George gave him a shove.  
"So who was that kid? Seemed rather interested in holding a conversation with you." There was the slightest twinge of jealousy in Fred's voice which even Fred didn't understand. George noticed and smiled.  
"His name is Timothy, he's going into his fourth year of Hogwarts, and he wants to be just like us." George told him. Fred bit his lip.  
"He keeps in touch, just remember. I'm your twin. Not him." Fred said as he stood up and put the box back on the shelf, George standing after him.  
"Freddie, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're jealous." George smirked, grabbing Fred's wrist when he made a move to leave.  
"The second you were born, I called dibs. Mine, nobody else's." Fred stated matter-of-factly. George laughed and pulled Fred into a hug.  
"You're such a loser. Fred, he's a kid. I mean, you're very easily replaceable, but for a kid I've just met?" George kept his voice still as he tried not to laugh. Fred tightened his grip slightly at the comment on how replaceable he was. He knew it was a joke, but he couldn't help think if there was some truth behind it.  
"I know, I know...but I already almost lost you once and I don't plan on doing that again." Fred sighed and nuzzled into George's cheek. He pressed a light kiss to the skin before tucking his head into his neck. They stood there for a couple minutes before pulling back. "We should probably get back out there. I think I heard the little ones out there."  
George looked out the door, and Fred was correct. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had just entered the shop. The amount of people had died down, which surprisingly, the twins appreciated. Sure, it was less money, but it gave them an easier time. He stepped out of the storage room with a smile, Fred moving beside him.  
"Hey, guys! We came to see the pygmy puffs." said Ginny.  
"Right over here." The twins spoke in unison, leading to where the cage of the little fluff balls were. They squeaked excitedly as Fred opened the cage and pulled a few out. He handed one to each of them before taking the rest and handing them all to George.  
"We should stop selling these...I really hate giving them away." George frowned as he looked down at the puffs climbing all over him.  
"You just want to keep them for yourself." Fred smirked and took a couple of them.  
"That's exactly it. I want every single one of them. Nobody else can have them. They're just so cute." George put one that had climbed to his shoulder.  
"Dibs on being the puffs cool aunt." Ginny smiled, making the twins laugh.  
"Sounds like a good plan." Fred nodded. Hermione was cooing at the puff she held and Harry and Ron were bouncing theirs in their palms. Fred quickly took a hold of the ones he had given Harry and Ron. "We do not bounce the pygmy puffs!"  
"If you're only here to hurt my children, then I must ask you to never hold another puff." George took the shaking pygmy puffs from Fred.  
"Oh they're fine." Ron waved them off.  
"They are traumatized!" George held the puffs closer.  
"They'll get over. Anyways, it was good to see you two." Harry chuckled.  
"We might stop by again in a few days, George keep that wound clean." Hermione gave him a pointed look. George held his hand up in surrender.  
"Alright, we're gonna head out. Goodbye my favorite big brothers." Ginny smiled at Ron's shocked expression.  
"Goodbye our favorite little sibling." They said back. Ron gasped in fake hurt and left with the others.  
"Never again will I sell another puff." George turned their sign to 'Closed' and headed up the stairs with Fred to call it a night.


	9. Authors Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for next chapter

Hello everyone! It's bad_seed here, and this is a little author's note which is a WARNING!!!!!!!!  
The next chapter that I will be posting as soon as I finish will be the softest kind of smut I've ever written, but it still definitely sexual.  
There will be mentions of genitalia and inappropriate touching, ya know, what you expeat from smut works. This is a warning for those who do not wish to read such things and would like to not get an eyeful, ya know what I mean.  
In the chapter after this, I will have a very shortened version of what happened in this upcoming one for those whose chose not to read the details.  
I'm not sure when the chapter will be posted as this school year has definitely proved to be my most difficult already haha.  
I will probably put these warnings before any smutty chapter in case there are some who would prefer to skip it.


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter numbers and number of chapters are now going to be all messed up because of that note ugh. Like this is chapter nine, but it says there's ten. Oh well.

"The second you were born, I called dibs. Mine, nobody else's." Fred's own words played over and over in his head as he lay in his bed, waiting for the affects of another Sweet Dreams potion to kick in. He absolutely meant it. He only wished he had a way to make sure the whole world knew George belonged to someone just by looking at him. Maybe a collar. A little tattoo that states 'Property of Fred Weasley'. Handcuff him to Fred. A buzzer that goes off when people get too close.  
Hickies.  
Fred blushed a deep crimson at the thought of that. The thought of George's neck littered with dark red and light pink bruises, all from Fred's mouth. He thought of how George's body would react. Would his breath hitch? Would he moan or whine? Whimper? Pant? Would he even like neck kisses in the first place? What if he wanted more?  
Oh merlin...thinking of him wanting more gave Fred that all too familiar warmth in the pit of his stomach. He gulped and tried to stop thinking about it, but it was hard when George was in the bed just next to his. He closed his eyes tight, hoping to force himself to sleep, but it instead made the images in his head even clearer. He thought about what "more" could mean. How much more? Would he want to be marked more, is that what he would mean? Or would he be as hard as Fred was getting from just the thought of it?  
Fred got out of bed and as quickly and quietly as he could, he made his way into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He brought his wand with him so he could set up silencing charms in case George were to wake up. The ginger gulped in air and turned on the shower with shaking fingers. Fred looked downwards, blushing even deeper at the sight of the tent in his pants. Well he can't just leave that, now can he?  
He slipped out of the sweatpants and t-shirt he wore to bed and stepped under the hot water. He leaned his back against the cool tiles of the shower wall and nibbled his lower lip. Fred stood there for a few minutes just thinking about George, until the thoughts from earlier came back stronger.  
He pictured kissing down his chest, leaving hickies by his nipples. Getting the chance to kiss every muscle he met and finally saying hello to the light blonde happy trail between his v-lines that lead to what Fred was sure was the most delicious bit of flesh in the world. Thinking of just how he'd taste made Fred's mouth water.  
Fred stood there, picturing that perfect v-line on George's hips, how it would look if it were lined with bite marks and bruises. He had his hand wrapped around his own hardened member, a slow rhythm taking form. His breathing got heavier as he thought of going even further down George's body. Would he be allowed to? Fred has seen what his twin has down there, but never has he seen him hard. He'd never touched it, tasted it. Felt how heavy it was in his mouth. The pace of his hand picked up as he thought of how his twin would react to having his cock sucked. Was he loud? Did he not make a sound? How many rounds could he go before he begged Fred to stop because it was too much? How long did he last?  
"Oh merlin, George..." Fred moaned and lolled his head back, running his finger up the vein on the underside of his cock.  
Fred thought of making George scream his name. He thought of making the younger lose his voice altogether. He rubbed circles over his head with his thumb, shuttering and groaning George's name loudly at the new sensation. Fred wondered about going even further than just blowing him. His breath got caught in his throat at the thought of being even more intimate. His hand sped up as he panted, images of him fucking his twin entering his mind. Moaning and begging for more. His pretty little inventor, smart and diligent, all messy and whining underneath him. Fred's eyes went back down, thinking of his cock disappearing into his twin. It made him pick up his pace, focusing the majority of his attention to his tip. Warmth built in his stomach as he felt the need to cum growing stronger.  
He thought of George touching himself, Fred's name on those lips Fred needed to kiss. He thought of George bringing himself to quite the orgasm as Fred watched him cum. Just that thought alone pushed Fred over the edge and he released all over his hand with a sharp gasp, panting as the mess dripped down his knuckles. He rinsed himself off under the water before turning the faucet off.  
He toweled off his body and rid his hair of excess water, running his fingers through the damp mess. Fred pulled his sweatpants back on and hurried into his and George's shared bedroom. The spare bedroom they had was turned into their lab, so the twins were forced to share. Not that they minded.  
Fred sat next to George on the bed and brought his hand up. He brushed stray ginger hairs from his twin's face and moved where he was sat. He pushed lightly on George's shoulder so he lay on his back and sat on his knees between his legs. Fred pulled him closer so they were hip to hip. He leaned forward ever so slowly until his breath tickled the freckled skin of George's neck.  
He pressed the lightest kiss he could, surprised at how chilled his neck was. He felt George squirm below him and looked up to see a pair of light brown eyes just waking up.  
"Freddie?" George mumbled sleepily. "What're you-"  
"Shhh." Fred cut him off. He placed a wet kiss on his pulse point, where a small birthmark lay. George gulped and tipped his head to the side, giving Fred more room. Fred smirked triumphantly and kissed more eagerly all over his neck. This one spot that connected his jaw to his remaining ear seemed to be particularly sensitive, Fred concluded based on the soft whimper he received after delicately dragging his lips across it. He kissed a bit harder in that one spot before taking the small patch of skin between his lips and sucking.  
"Fuck.." George gasped and slotted his fingers into Fred's hair.  
"Right here?" Fred smirked.  
"Yeah, right there..." George squirmed more, slightly uncomforatable with how quickly Fred was turning him on.  
Fred kissed and sucked till he left an angry red mark, an incredibly noticeable contrast to the pasty white flesh. He left a few more light ones around his neck before pulling back the collar of his shirt. Fred took in the sight of the hickies on his neck, smiling at his masterpiece.  
He moved his head down so his lips met George's collarbone. The younger twin moaned as he felt the open mouthed kisses along the overly sensitive skin of his collarbones. He pushed his hips right against Fred's and whimpered. Fred let his eyes trail down to George's hips where he sported quite the bulge in the front of his sweatpants. A devilish smirk played across his face as he just paid his attention on his twin's collarbones which he wanted nothing more than to make as deeply bruised as the spot below his ear.  
"Mmnngg, Freddie...why?" George panted, his face scrunched up as Fred continued the attack on his collarbones.  
Fred growled and moved up to his right ear. "The second you were born, I called dibs. Mine, nobody else's." George whined gorgeously at that and arched his back up to meet Fred's body. Fred pushed George's shirt up, exposing the pale skin to the chilly air in their room. He took George's lower lip between his teeth and tugged.  
"I should make you jealous more often." George whispered with a shiver at the cool air. Fred slid his hands up George's sides, pressing his thumbs into his torso as he did so before reaching his chest. He laid his heated palms over his twin's already perky nipples and rubbed in circles with the heel of his hand.  
"O-oh..." George squeaked, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and pleasure, the latter taking over.  
"Different?" Fred asked with a playful grin. George nodded frantically. "But good?" He got another nod. "Then you might like this, too." Fred continued the rubbing into his right nipple, but began tweaking and tugging on the left one. George's mind went into a daze and he pushed his chest up to meet Fred's hand. He tipped his head to the side and whimpered needly.  
"Yeah...fuck..." George nodded dreamily.  
"Oh, so I guess I should remember nipple play for next time." Fred winked.  
"Oh yes. It's so-" George cut himself off with a moan as Fred began licking at his right nipple. "-good. Yeah...oh merlin, yes!"  
Fred took it into his mouth, flicking his tongue over the nub. He switched back and forth between the right and left until they both were a deeper red shade.  
"Ugh, Freddie...help.." George whined.  
"Help with what?" Fred questioned innocently. George answered Fred's question by grinding his hips into Fred's, face scrunching up at the sudden friction to his too hard for comfort cock. Fred smirked knowingly and cupped George's cheek. He slid his hand down his body from his cheek to the waistband of his sweatpants.  
"Help you with what, Georgie?" Fred raised an eyebrow, playing with the waistband. Fred really wanted nothing more than to yank them off his twin and go to town, but teasing George was too much fun. George whined and wrapped his hands around Fred's forearms, trying to get him to do something, anything.  
"Too hard..." he pouted. Fred slowly pulled his pants off his legs. George sighed and covered his face. His cheeks burned red, thinking of how they ended up in this position and how wrong it truly was.  
The sight of just how tented his twin's boxers were caused Fred's own cock to twitch back to life in his between his legs. He quickly used his palm to push it down between his legs and sighed.  
"Why am I the only one almost completely in the nude?" George crossed his arms over his chest. Fred smirked and pulled his shirt over his head and fully rid George of his. Fred's shoulder and chest were a light pink from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He then got off of the bed to take his own pants off for the second time that night before seating himself back between his legs.  
Fred climbed back up and began leaving kisses all along George's jawline. He gently kissed the spot of his neck just below the bandages and covered the gauze with his hand. Fred adjusted how he was sitting, accidentally brushing their equally aroused, covered groins in the process. They both froze, blood rushing straight to their dicks.  
Fred gulped and nervously made the same move as before, earning a gasp from both of them. He took a second to catch his breath, not sure if he should do it again. George rutted his hips up to meet Fred's again, craving that friction. The older twin smirked and was about to go back to marking George's neck whilst grinding against him at the same time, when George spoke up, a sad, pained expression on his face.  
"Wait, wait, wait..." George sighed and kept his gaze from Fred's eyes. He chewed his lower lip and began rubbing his palm against his forearm. Fred grabbed both of George's wrists and pinned them above his head to try and help him break the habit of worrying the skin of his forearm.  
"What's wrong, Georgie?" Fred asked sweetly, concern laced in that loving way he only prayed George wouldn't pick up on.  
"This...this is wrong...I mean, when we kissed, those were heat of the moment things. Like I'm not against kissing you, and I'm not against this either..." George chose to dig his nails into his palms since he couldn't get to his left forearm. It was much more painful, but a distraction all the same.  
"But?" Fred sat them both up, his head tilted slightly off center as he listened carefully to what his twin had to say.  
"But at the same time, we're brothers...brothers don't do this stuff," George whispered. "Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it, very much so...but...I don't know how to explain it."  
"Do your best, kid." Fred placed his hand on George's shoulder and pressed his thumb into the crook of his neck.  
"Brothers don't kiss me like that. And I, as your brother, apologize for kissing you the way that brothers don't do." George ran his hand through his hair and finally locked his eyes with Fred's identical light brown ones.  
"Yeah, you're right. We shouldn't be doing this stuff. And so I, as YOUR brother, apologize for kissing you the way brothers don't do." Fred forced a smile. He didn't like this restriction of not being able to kiss his twin. But he would never force George to do something he was uncomfortable with, even if it meant never kissing him again.  
Of course, George didn't want to stop their secret little rendezvous, but he had to draw the line somewhere or he might as well just be screaming his feelings off the mountain tops.  
"So occasional smooches. Probably not as intense as the previous ones, obviously." George laughed. Fred chuckled and shook his head. He didn't know what to think. Either he was really good at hiding his feelings, or George was an idiot.  
Fred initiated the kissing both times and pulled the little stunt just a few minutes prior to this conversation...and George didn't suspect a thing. It made Fred want to either smack his twin on the head or take him your a healer to see if his brain was working properly. Really, how blind could he be? If Fred were to make it anymore obvious, he would be straight up telling George how he felt.  
But also George returned those kisses and encouraged their sexual shenanigans...was Fred an idiot too? No, no. Of course not. There was no way George could feel the same way. It's just his boy hormones getting all tangled up, right? Yeah, Fred will go with that. He didn't want to give himself a false sense of hope only to be crushed eventually by reality.  
He felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped, fists balling at his sides. His attention turned to George who quickly pulled his hand back and ever so slightly coward back. Fred's features softened noticeably and he cupped George's cheek.  
"I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean to scare you." Fred apologized.  
"Oh no, it's okay, really. I was just asking if we should take another shot of that potion to get to sleep after...all of that." George smiled lightly and played with his fingers in his lap. The pair were still coming down from the sudden adrenaline rushes, their shorts feeling less and less tight as the minutes passed with no contact.  
"Yeah, we probably should. I'll go get it." Fred left the room.  
George sighed and said just above a whisper, "If there's anyone up there listening, I could really use some help right now...I really do love him. I just don't know what to do. It obviously will need to wait, what with the war coming up...but I don't know...if you could maybe push him this way instead of into the arms of a woman, that'd be nice..."


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all over the place, I apologize.

A few weeks had gone by since the incident between the twins, both in the meantime deciding it best not to speak of that event. They instead used a charm before they opened shop that would conceal the marks on George's neck and kept their thoughts about it to themselves. When the shop would close for the day, and George would remove the uncomfortable, slightly rough and sticky charm, Fred couldn't help but stare. Those were his marks, and wow did he love seeing them. George would sometimes find himself running his fingers over the darkest one right below his ear, remembering just how it got there. They acted as though it had never happened, going back to their joking ways. There was a hint of tension looming in the air that only strengthened in their usually comfortable silence.  
Fred was now constantly checking inventory, counting and recounting their stock just to distract himself. That was his excuse to have some time by himself now.  
George kept in their lab, trying to get just the right formula to create a chewing gum that would give you simple telepathic abilities for as long as the flavor lasted. It was proving to be much more difficult than he thought, multiple batches exploding in his face (he would hear Fred laugh in the other room everytime). He was incredibly stressed about it, yet would quickly shoot down every single one of Fred's offers to help. Fred understood, his twin was quite the genius when it came to this sort of thing so he knew best not to interfere, unless it was a product they started together.  
It was now the second week of September at precisely 7:42 in the morning. Fred was in their kitchen, sipping at his steaming mug of coffee and flipping through The Daily Prophet. His hair was even messier than it normally would be and the stubble was beginning to itch his chin. He would need to get rid of that later. Fred made a mental note of it and turned back to the front page.  
"You-Know-Who on the move?!" The title read. Fred furrowed his eyebrows and read through the article.  
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was reportedly spotted not too far out of London. A wizard who would like to remain anonymous was taking a stroll through the forest with his muggle-born sweetheart when they discovered a dead unicorn on the ground. It appeared to have been cut along its side where it's blood glistened. For those who don't know, when consumed, unicorn blood will keep you alive even if you are on the very edge of death. Though that may sound fantastic, it comes with a price. You will have a half-life, or cursed life, the second the blood comes in contact with your lips. You-Know-Who was very fond of using the blood of a unicorn to keep himself alive back in his weaker days, so could he be back to slaying unicorns once again? As the war seems to be approaching quicker than expected, we can only pray our unicorn population will remain in tact."  
Fred gulped the rest of his hot coffee, shivered as the heat erupted in his chest, and moved into the lab where George had already started working at this formula again.  
"Hey, kid." Fred held the paper in his left hand and leaned against the doorframe. George looked up from the cauldron at his brother.  
"Yeah, what's up?" He asked and continued scratching notes down onto the parchment in front of him.  
"Listen to this." Fred read the article out to him, a twist of disbelief in his words. He saw George had stopped writing to really take in what Fred was saying.  
"Awe...poor unicorns. Those babies don't deserve that." George frowned, suddenly very sad thinking of the pure unicorns being slain.  
"...that's not what you were supposed to pay attention to...he's nearby and the war is coming up fast." Fred folded the paper.  
"I mean, we can't really avoid the war. So let me be in my feelings about the unicorns." George redirected his attention back to the cauldron which was bubbling pastel blue, a cream colored gas emitting from the top. He smiled softly, trying to contain his relief. "Can you hand me the molds?"  
Fred pushed himself off of the doorframe and in the direction of where they kept all of their supplies. He dug through their box of different molds before settling on a little daisy shaped one. "This one's cute. It'll look nice when it's the blue color you've got in there." Fred handed them to George and stood on the opposite side of the table.  
George's smile widened and with a wave of his wand, the solution dripped the perfect amount into each small flower mold. The gum was still quite sticky, something that would be fixed as it cools, but other than that, it seemed perfect.  
"After over a month's work...I have finally done it." George pushed the parchment with the formula on it over to Fred with a proud grin on his cheeks. The older twin regarded the page with wide eyes.  
"This is confusing as hell. When we mass produce these, you may need to do most of the work." Fred shoved the page away and rubbed his temples as if just looking at it gave him a headache. That made his brother blush with a little giggle and Fred couldn't help the smile his lips formed into.  
George began cleaning everything. He tapped his wand twice on the heat resistant table and the ingredients packed themselves away. He pointed the tip of his wand to the shelves and the bottles floated back to where they came from. Fred handed him the formula, which George pinned to their overflowing bulletin board of potions recipes. He had pocketed his wand before he finished cleaning and only noticed when the cauldron was the final thing to scrub.  
"I don't wanna get it back out." George whined with a soft stomp of his left foot. He sighed heavily and waved his hand over the messy cauldron and the sponge that lay next to it. The sponge got to scrubbing, scratching off the sticky substance from the bottom of the cauldron. Fred watched on, impressed. Even though they both were quick to master wandless magic, it still excited them that they could do something so advanced.  
"Here, I got it. You've done enough work." Fred picked up the cauldron, carrying it back to where they kept them.  
"Oh. Well thank you," George grinned. "Kitchen, I want food." Fred laughed and walked with his brother to the kitchen.  
"So, mister. What's the plan for today?" George asked as he sat at their kitchen table.  
"Today is our day off, so why don't we just hang out? Do nothing in particular." Fred shrugged and sat across from George.  
"Sounds good to me. I have been meaning to go get more Boomslang skin, actually...probably get that done later." George tapped his fingertips on the wood of the table, exhausted from all the work he's put into those chewing gums.  
There was a pecking at the window, signalling the arrival of a post owl. Fred rose from his seat and made his way to the window. With a flick of his wrist, the window opened and the barn owl flew in to land on his forearm. He untied the letter from the owl's outstretched left leg. The owl hooted happily and nuzzled into Fred's arm. Fred chuckled and gave the owl a treat before it took off out the window.  
"Oooh, you got maaiill." George smiled.  
"Actually," Fred read who it was addressed to, "You got mail."  
George furrowed his eyebrows together and bit the inside of his cheek. "From who?"  
"That Timothy kid." Fred slid the envelope across the table. George sighed happily remembering the brown haired boy with darker brown eyes to match who seemed no older than fourteen. Fred took notice and couldn't help the jealousy bubble in his chest. He tensed ever so slightly and distracted himself by making breakfast for the both of them.  
George opened the envelope and slipped out the piece of parchment. In handwriting messier than Fred's, he read the letter in his head.  
'Hello, sir!  
I hope I am not being a bother. I wanted to update you on how things are going at Hogwarts.  
It's a lot stricter than when you were here. People have been talking about these new, insanely tough rules, and saying it's probably because of you and Mr.Weasley, haha. Saying the teachers probably don't want not only more dropouts, but another pair of troublemakers. It's only been two weeks and I've already gotten detention from the one and only Professor Snape. Help. I don't think I can handle that. He's a tad bit intimidating. I suppose you get used to the detentions after a while?  
Oh, and Professor McGonagall says she loves and misses you two! I was told to give you that message. She also said her office is always open and you are welcome back anytime.  
Hoping you are well,  
Timothy'  
George chuckled and folded the parchment. He slipped it into his pocket, making sure to remember to write back to the young boy later. He would never get used to the whole 'Sir' and 'Mr.Weasley' thing. It was odd, really, having someone show them real respect without a sliver of doubt on whether or not they deserve that respect. Timothy was a sweet kid. Seemed more than willing to talk, even if it was only through as little as an owl here and there.  
"So what was that about?" Fred asked dully, choosing to not turn to his twin. He kept his eyes at the counter top as he finished up making more coffee.  
"Just updating on how Hogwarts is doing. Poor kid's got detention with Snape, though." George said.  
"I remember our Snape detentions." Fred tugged the corner of lips into a slight smile. George couldn't see Fred's face, but he could feel the smile.  
"Twas hell, dear brother, twas hell. Also McGonagall misses us and says we can come back whenever." Fred turned around at that. He grinned nostalgically, wishing he could go back to their days in sixth year where they had so many detentions with McGonagall, they quickly became her favorites behind Harry once she really got to know them. It did help that they were on her quidditch team.  
"Oh I miss McGonagall." The older twin spoke as he placed the mugs on the table. He sat across from George and rested his elbow on the table, his chin in his palm. "Ya know, because of this single letter, the kid has written more to us than Ron and Ginny during their time at Hogwarts without us."  
George's eyes widened. "That's so sad! We should write to Ginny. See if she likes us enough to respond. Find out if she's got any Snape detentions."  
"Ginny and detention are two words that probably have never met in the same sentence." They sipped the steaming liquid in slightly tense silence.  
Fred avoided George's gaze, though it wasn't that hard as the younger twin kept his eyes at the table. George quickly ran his fingers over the covered, still fading mark right below his remaining ear. Noticing what he had done, he went to rubbing the heel of his palm against his forearm at once.  
Fred scrunched his eyebrows lightly and reached across the table. He took a hold of George's right wrist and pulled his hand away from his forearm.  
"Hey, kid. Stop that. It's not good." Fred held his wrist firmly against the wood of the table, not planning to let go anytime soon.  
"Yeah...sorry." George bit his lip and placed his free hand on the side of his neck. Fred's face softened a bit, sighing quietly.  
"Are they still there..?" He questioned timidly. George sat silent for a few seconds, not really wanting to talk about that night. It made him sad because he knew Fred didn't see it how he did, mad for stopping because he knew it wouldn't happen again, glad he stopped it because he wasn't ready for heartbreak, and completely and utterly confused as to why it had happened. What went through Fred's mind to cause him to act such a way?  
Finally, George gave in. He snapped his fingers so the pale leftovers of marks that were once the deepest shade of red became visible to his twin. He saw Fred take in each bruise individually. He squirmed uncomfortably under his stare, wanting nothing more than to cover them back up.  
Fred moved to sit next to George. He traced his index finger over the pale pink discoloration. He used two fingers to turn George to face him. Fred brought his hand up to the bandages and bit his lower lip.  
"Do you mind..?" Fred waited for George's permission. He got a nod to go ahead, and as gently as he could, Fred removed the wrapping around his head. He placed his hand over his mouth in shock at the state the wound was in. Rather deep scabbing cracked along the actual gashes, clearly rather itchy. Scarring had begun around the wound, thick and bumpy in all the strangest places, looking like those of a burn victim. The scabs were the only indicator that there had even been an ear in that place. Fred was feeling the scars, trying to imprint the bumps in his fingertips.  
"Can you hear anything out of there?" Fred tipped his head to the side.  
"No, it's like...useless now." George shrugged weakly. Fred stood up, bringing his brother with him. He placed his left hand on George's hip, his right going to the scarring. He leaned forward and delicately dragged his lips over the wound. Fred felt George finally relax under his touch and pressed a light kiss to the harmed area. He was deeply saddened by just how bad the injury had been, feeling that George was the last person in the world who deserved to be hurt so badly.  
"Hey, I'll get used to it. It's fine." George tapped his fingers on Fred's bicep. He was a quite nervous about what was to happen with such an injury, but he didn't need Fred to know.  
"Used to it or not, it's still not okay."  
"I know, I know. Okay, I should probably write back to Timothy. Oh, and when's the next Order meeting?" George asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"I believe tonight? They're probably going to want to talk about the Daily Prophet article." Fred would have to reread the letter from Mrs.Weasley.  
"Sounds good to me." He shrugged, moving to place his mug in the sink before going on his way to write back to the fourth year boy.


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever, I'm sorry, I've had so much school work. I'll try to get back in the swing of things, but for now, have this lil thing.

That night's Order meeting was such a bore, George spent the whole time with Fred's head on his shoulder, having to constantly nudge him so the older twin stayed awake. This got them many nasty looks from their mother. George knew those looks were because the both of them kept dozing off, but a part of him couldn't help but wonder if it was because she thought something was going on between them. Had she seen him during the time he was marked and uncovered? Did she know they kissed? It was silly of him to think, but when Fred placed his left hand on George's inner thigh, he felt it was no coincidence that Mrs.Weasley cleared her throat at that very second.  
Why would he be worried though? There wasn't anything going on. They were just two nineteen year olds who've spent every minute of every day together since before they were born and still live together after they've moved out, completely attached at the hip and continue to match their clothes. What could be odd about that?  
He felt Fred wrap his free hand around his right wrist. Fred gently pulled it towards him, holding it between them. George looked down, confused as to why he so suddenly did something like that. He sighed, slightly annoyed at the sight of his now bright red forearm.  
"Ya gotta stop that, kid." Fred whispered almost silently.  
"I know, I know." George said back in the same quiet tone. Mrs.Weasley turned her attention towards them, aggravation on her features. She raised her eyebrow at them and clenched her jaw as a way to tell them to shut up. George nibbled his lower lip and nodded apologetically. Fred only chuckled breathily and nuzzled his nose deeper into the crook of his twin's neck. George shivered at the warm breath on his neck and nudged Fred slightly harder.  
That made Fred smile against his skin. "Sorry.." he muttered and rubbed his thumb over his brother's thigh. George struggled with paying attention to the rest of the meeting with the way Fred's hand gently ran in circles on his thigh, occasionally sliding it up and down.  
It didn't really matter though, they discussed the same thing as always anyways. 'No, we don't know where the three of them are', 'no, we have no clue what they're doing', 'we just need to trust them'. It was quite repetitive, something neither twin was too fond of.  
If it weren't for the way Molly rebuked both of them constantly for zoning out, they would have crashed in seconds. Mr.Weasley seemed to find it to be rather funny, watching his fourth and fifth children, who were usually the most energetic of the bunch, struggling to keep their eyes open and heads off the table. So it was understandable why he had to excuse himself when Fred fell asleep and tumbled out of his chair. Everyone attempted to stiffle their laughter, not wanting to anger Molly even more. George had to leave the room after his father, he was laughing too hard. Shacklebolt had ended the meeting just seconds before, and he too found it difficult not to chuckle.  
Fred shot up as soon as he hit the ground, banging his head on the table in the process. He stood and looked around, flinching slightly at the deep set glare from Mrs.Weasley. He smiled innocently and waved before scurrying in the direction the laughter was coming from. He knew that laugh from anywhere. How could he not? It was only his favorite sound in the world.  
He found his twin sitting on the floor in the kitchen, back against the wall, his cheeks red from laughing. Fred sat in front of him.  
"Damn, it must've been something great if it's got you laughing on the floor." Fred smirked and quirked an eyebrow. It sent George into a fit of giggles.  
"I guess you could say that." His voice shook as his amusement rattled his ribcage.  
"What was it?" Fred asked.  
"As soon as Kingsley said the meeting was over, you fell asleep and rolled right out of your chair and onto the carpet." George took quivering breaths, attempting to calm himself.  
"Well that explains why I was on the floor..." Fred chuckled and looked at the tiles under his legs.  
When he finally turned his attention back to the identical ginger sitting across from himself, he properly took in the image before him. The poorly lit kitchen only seemed to make his features sharper, the shadows intensified. His twin's usually quirky and charming exterior had faded away, leaving behind the side of George that only Fred ever saw. George didn't know this side to him existed, but Fred never let it go unnoticed. It was the side that stopped Fred in his tracks every time he saw it, even though it was almost a daily thing. The side that was so breathtakingly gorgeous, where he was all little smiles and deep dimples and freckles.  
It was the time Fred got to truly appreciate just how incredible his twin was. The dim lighting made his eyes appear so much darker than they actually were, giving him the doe eyed affect. Even his freckles seemed deeper and Fred grinned as he thought of the stick figure horses they used to draw on his cheeks. George leaned his head back against the wall, exposing the creamy white skin of his neck. Even in such darkness, he stood out. His firey hair fell out of place and into his face which drew a heavy sigh from his throat.  
"How are you so perfect..." Fred found himself saying in a deep tone before he could stop himself. His eyes went wide, his mouth hanging slightly open. George looked at Fred's face and chuckled in a way that Fred made shudder.  
"C'mon. Let's get you to bed." George got up and reached a hand down. Fred took a hold and, with the help of his brother, stood as well. George walked in front of Fred, leading them to their old room. Fred smiled slightly at the light blush he saw on his twin's cheeks. They ambled to their room, feeling it better not to speak and just enjoy each other's company. It was a rather common thing for them to do, be together in silence. Neither minded, sometimes it was nice.  
Fred held the door open for his brother. He shut the door behind them and walked in with the younger twin, his hand on the small of his back.  
"I still gotta write back to that Timothy kid." George informed Fred.  
"Oh yeah. Him." Fred rolled his eyes and rag dolled onto a bed. The springs creaked as they so suddenly supported his weight.  
"Yeah, him. You'd like him if you met him. He's a such a sweet kid."  
"You said he had detention with Snape, right?" Fred lifted his head off the bed and looked at George who nodded in response. "Should send him some puking pastilles. Ya know, get him out of it early."  
George raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That's actually a good idea." He picked his wand up off the bedside table and flicked his wrist, three color-coded sweets drifting into his hand. He put them off to the side and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. George had always had nicer handwriting than his twin, it was how teachers knew if it was really his or Fred's work.  
"Timothy,  
What the bloody hell did you do to get Snape detention in the second week?! I mean I'm not one to talk, we've been suspended before the school year even started...but that's beside the point! They really suck, Snape detentions. Gives the most brutal, magic-free punishments like cleaning the bed pans in the hospital wing. Why Fred and I are attaching some of our Puking Pastilles to this letter, help you get out of it. Pop one in your mouth a few minutes after getting there and there ya go! Remember, orange side to throw up, purple side to stop it.  
I hate to hear that the rules are even stricter now, especially because of us. I mean, we did cause quite a scene and it was rather fun. But we just wanted to show how the people at the ministry were wrong to support Umbridge.  
Anyways, I hope you aren't getting punished too harshly for anything. May need to go down there and take care of that myself if you are.  
Best of luck with Snape,  
George."  
He folded the parchment with the Puking Pastilles attached and slipped it into an envelope. He called over their owl, tying the letter to its leg and sending the bird on its way.  
"Kid, come sleep. We gotta get up early tomorrow and head back to our place." Fred mumbled from where was still draped across the bed. He rolled on to his back and opened his arms. The younger twin hurried over to his brother and shimmied on the bed next to him.  
Fred smiled and tucked his arm under George's shoulders, using this as a way to pull him closer. He buries his nose into his twin's hair and closed his eyes, his right hand placed gently over the bandages and sliver of scarring that poked out.  
\------  
They woke early the next morning, way before everyone else. George was up before Fred which was a rather rare occurrence since George was in no way a morning person. He was surprised to see the sun had yet to come up.  
He was still wrapped tightly in his twin's arms, so tightly it was a little hard to breathe. Every time he tried squirm out, Fred's vice grip only tightened. George thought hard about ways to wake Fred so he could be let go and they could leave.  
He looked at Fred's face, at every freckle and mark that sat there. At the little scar on his eyebrow he got when he was little that George later found a way for him to get it too.  
His eyes wandered to his lips. George gulped, focusing intently on that one feature. The lips he'd kissed more than once, the lips that left marks on his neck. He blushed lightly and leaned forward, nuzzling their noses together. It was soft and sweet, but enough to wake the older twin.  
"Can I help you, kid?" Fred muttered, sleep laced in his voice.  
"Time to go." George bumped his forehead against Fred's and sat up, pulling his brother with him. Fred contorted his spine, popping his sockets and sighing. He ran a hand through his messy hair.  
"Just put on some sweatpants and we'll head out. Gotta stay quiet though so we don't wake the others, or else we'll be forced to stay longer."  
"That would not be good for buisness." George changed into a pair of light grey sweatpants he found on the floor and tossed Fred a matching pair. Fred caught them and pulled the clothing on in one swift movement.  
As silently as possible, the twins tip-toed to the front lawn. It was cool outside and even in the dark could you see the heavy clouds in the sky. Rain drizzled lightly on to their exposed arms and faces, glittering droplets forming on their skin. Fred shivered lightly as the wind picked up, freezing the droplets even more. He could feel the water on the grass soaking through his shoes. He turned to his left to see George wasn't too happy about it either.  
Normally, George was someone who adored the rain. The way it produced a vibrating patter that echoed down alleyways and was loud enough in his right ear to make up for the lack of the left. He enjoyed seeing how the flurries of rain fogged up the windows in their kitchen and piled into glistening puddles on the sidewalks outside. It was magnificent to him. But at the moment, he wanted nothing more than a peaceful, rain-free silence.  
They hurried away from the house, far enough so their apparation cracks wouldn't disturb anyone's sleep. Both were soaked the the bone as the rain picked up, appearing to be almost brunettes rather than firey gingers. Fred kept a hold of George's bicep so he knew he was keeping up. Once they felt they were far enough, George linked their arms and pulled out his wand. With a loud crack, they apparated to the front porch of their shop.  
It was raining harder there, which surprised them. Fred was about to unlock the doors when someone had cleared their throat behind them. He turned on his heel to face whoever was their and immediately paled.  
Three men, all in black robes and hoods with masks covering their faces stood before them. Death eaters. Fred, being the protective older brother that he was, grabbed George's arm and yanked him so the younger twin was stood behind him. Fred held his arms slightly behind him, putting himself between George and the death eaters.  
"May we help you?"


	13. Chapter 12

Fred, being the protective older brother that he was, grabbed George's arm and yanked him so the younger twin was stood behind him. Fred held his arms slightly behind him, putting himself between George and the death eaters.  
"May we help you?" Fred's voice was calm, yet firm. He didn't want to anger the hooded men, but when these people were the reason his brother was ever injured, it took everything in him not to cause serious damage to the death eaters.  
"We would just like to talk." The pair removed their masks to properly stare at the gingers. It was clear they were not intimidated by the freckles and big brown eyes. Though who would be? Fred and George liked to use that as almost a secret weapon. Identical smiles and batted eyes got the pair out of quite a bit of trouble.  
"What kind of talk?" George was the one to speak this time. It earned him a hard look from Fred that told him not to talk. George was taken aback, but nodded anyways.  
"Where have you been, out all night?"  
"How do you know we've been out all night?" Fred furrowed his brows together.  
"Thought it was clear by now that the dark lord wanted a track on your family, yous twos especially. We know when you leave and when yous come back." Fred recognized the accent as one of the men from the wedding. He had short black hair and dirt smudged across his face as if he'd just gotten out of a fight. "And so I ask again. Where ya been?"  
"We went back home for the night." Fred shrugged.  
"Wit who?"  
"Our family. And I know you're going to ask why, so let me jump right in and tell you it was just to get together and see how everyone is holding up." He was about to cross his arms over his chest but decided against it, instead choosing to keep them out behind him.  
"And what do ya think you're doing now?" The death eater on the left with light brown hair and yellowish eyes spoke.  
"We're going to go inside and get a couple more hours of sleep before we open up shop at 10." Fred nodded his head in the direction of the door. He took note of how the death eaters turned to each other, each wearing the most disgustingly cruel smirk.  
"I don't think so." One said, his smirk widening. The twins exchanged a confused glance.  
"Excuse me?" The sly twists of the death eaters' lips maddened Fred. He wanted to slap the grins right off their faces.  
"You won't be opening shop today." One death started.  
"Or tomorrow." Said the next.  
"Or any day after that, for a long while." The first finished. George recognized that one as the rather infamous Antonin Dolohov.  
"What do you mean?" Fred pushed, tightening his jaw to the point where George could hear his teeth grinding.  
"We're shutting your asses down." Dolohov closed his arms over his chest, his overweening attitude making George's skin crawl uncomfortably.  
"You son of a bitch, what the fuck?! We need to keep up!" Fred bawled indignantly.  
"Woah woah, language, pretty boy." The nameless death eater seemed to find great joy in teasing the twins. As if it were something he'd only ever dreamed of doing.  
"Hey fag, what happened to your head?" Dolohov nodded his head to George.  
"Doesn't matter to you what happened to him-"  
"Let the lady speak, Weasel." He goaded, craving any kind of reaction from Fred. George was past taking offence to being called such things and sighed, mentally adding another tally mark for how many times he'd been called that.  
He never thought of himself as super masculine and manly. People back at Hogwarts were definitely quick to make note of that, the way he would skip in the halls and twirl when he got excited. How he would so easily and naturally sit on someone's lap, whether it be Fred, Lee, Oliver, and even Katie and Alicia. They paid attention every time he would giggle and squeak. Many used any chance they could to make a jab at him about how he wasn't a real man or call him things like 'lady', 'miss', 'girl', and 'baby', 'fag' and 'princess'. They would get little first years to ask if he was gay. He didn't care though, and instead found it quite amusing and would pull pranks to get back at them. He didn't start caring until his sixth year when he would stay up at night questioning his sexuality. He didn't start caring until he tested if he could like boys with Lee Jordan who had come out as bisexual earlier that year. Then it really started to hurt. He thought everyone had found out and they were trying to cause him pain, when in reality they were just continuing the running joke and had no clue. Hearing the names again sent a shiver down his spine as he remembered how nervous he was.  
Fred felt emasculated for George, always being the more rough and tough of the two. He used to try to tell people to back off when they would say something to his twin, but sometimes he couldn't help but laugh with them. He never noticed the falter in his smile or his reluctance to hold a conversation with someone for the rest of the night. Didn't think much of it until his carbon copy just stood up and left one night. Hearing his brother be called such things yet again angered Fred. He growled lowly, a fierce scowl on his normally smooth face.  
"Lab experiment gone wrong." George lied so fluidly as he had done so for years. Fred held back his proud smile and continued to leer at the death eaters.  
"What were you making?" Dolohov interrogated, seeking any kind of fault in George's story.  
"Attempted to increase the strength in the Extendable Ears." He kept a poker face, even surprising himself by not cracking.  
"And how'd you get hurt?"  
"I was the tester. Tried adding Oppopanax, it reacted poorly with another ingredient and boom. No more ear." George held his story, taking on rather bored body language.  
"Oh no more ear? I don't believe you. Show me." The death eater grumbled angrily, struggling to find a flaw. The younger twin smothered his unwillingness, feeling it best to comply and began unwrapping his head. He shuddered at the cool air and freezing rain coming in contact with the newly exposed skin. Both of the death eaters and Fred examined the injury. Dolohov and his accessory death eater stared on in disgust while Fred took the opportunity to check if everything was healing properly.  
"Now yous twos are done sellin' this shit." Dolohov pointed his finger forcefully at them.  
"No, we won't. This is our shop, you have no right to close us down." Fred gripped his wand in his pocket. Behind him, he felt George attempt to slip his own wand discreetly out of the slot in his jacket.  
"It seems you have misunderstood me," Dolohov snapped his fingers, signalling the blonde death eater forward, "You will be shutting down, or," He grinned evilly at the injured ginger, "your copy over here is going to be missing a lot more than an ear. And if him missing a few more body parts doesn't push you enough, then how about he loses you?"  
George's jaw dropped. He really couldn't tell whether Fred was considering risking their safety in such a way. George couldn't imagine a life without Fred. It was a life he didn't want to live. He could deal with being just brothers with him, but it was impossible for him to fathom being separated from his twin.  
Fred's shoulders drooped in defeat. It pained him to think of how dull the street would now be, how many customers they would be letting down. But they had no choice. They knew their own health was more important than the shop. He didn't want to be the reason one of them got hurt or possibly killed. Anger boiled within Fred as he was pushed around by the death eaters.  
"Yeah...fine, whatever." Fred sighed.  
"Good." Dolohov turned on his heel and left with the other death eater.  
Fred pushed past George and stormed inside. "Freddie..?" George followed a few feet behind the visibly angered ginger. Fred gave no response and continued his march up to their flat above the shop. He stood in the kitchen, his hands on the counter top and head hanging. George stayed in the doorway.  
"Freddie? Are you okay?" George spoke softly, concerned for his twin. Fred turned sharply to face him, jaw harshly set.  
"Oh yeah I'm totally fine! We get the choice to close down or die, yeah it's whatever!" Fred over exaggerated his hand movements. "No! No, George! I'm not fucking okay! I don't know why you'd even need to ask that. How on earth would I be okay?!"  
"I...I don't know, I was just...um..." George rubbed furiously at his forearm, staring at the floor as he did so. Fred kicked the leg of their table.  
"Dammit, George!" Fred bellowed at his brother. He tugged at his hair, hating the way he could feel those death eaters laughing about them. George flinched and snapped his head up.  
"Uh...do you want to be alone or..?" George had already taken a step out of the room.  
"Yes- no- I....ugh. This is just...ugh! It's fucking ridiculous!" Fred screamed, infuriated. George took tiny steps back every time Fred clenched his fists. "God-fucking-dammit! How are you not pissed?! We won't have money to pay to keep this place!" He turned away from George again and, without thinking, punched one of the cabinets hard enough he shattered the wood. "Fuck!" He doubled over, cradling his right hand in his left.  
George ran to his twin's side. "Fred, you idiot!" He dragged Fred to the bathroom, forcing him to take a seat on the edge of the bath. He took their first aid kit from the closet.  
Fred sat silently, head bowed in shame. George crouched in front of him, carefully taking Fred's wrist. His knuckles bled pools of red on to his pale hand. Bruises formed almost instantly on his wrist, as if he damaged the bone as soon as his fist came in contact with the wood. George sighed heavily and began carefully slipping the splinters out of Fred's skin. Once he had finally gotten every one of them out, he dampened a hand towel under the faucet and used it to start wiping away the blood.  
"We talked about this. There are much safer ways to handle your anger." George said in a low voice that made Fred's breath catch in his throat.  
"I know we agreed that I just need a hug when I get angry, but I didn't want to accidentally hurt you..." Fred sniffled. He hissed as George began cleaning the wounds with hydrogen peroxide. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it was all they had at the moment. He then opened a jar of healing salve and gently spread a decent amount over any cuts and the bruising.  
"I want you to keep this wrapped up for a few days, yeah?" George looked up at Fred as he put bandages over the cuts then wrapped his hand, wrist, and half his forearm in ace bandage. Fred didn't answer his twin. He kept his gaze on his lap and brought his left hand up to rub at his eye. George scrunched his brows and gently took Fred's chin. He tilted Fred's head up so they were face to face.  
"I'm sorry..." Fred choked out between quiet sobs, tear tracks glowing in the soft lighting. George laced his fingers with Fred's and leaned forward, resting their foreheads together.  
"Do not be sorry, brother. We will work through this."  
"George, rent for this place is due next week. We're going to end up on the streets." Fred sniffled and swiped away stray tears.  
"I know." George shrugged weakly.  
"Why aren't you freaking out then?" Fred's voice cracked on his words.  
"Oh I'm not worried, Freddie. I have you."


End file.
